Silver Millenium Life Bonds
by Rocky Oberlin
Summary: SM-RW X-over. Serena is betrayed by her Inner Court and is sent to another dimension to her true love.
1. Chapter One

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 1  
  
Disclaimer: My name is clear so everyone knows I don't own Sailor Moon or the Ronin Warriors. Windy is from my imagination. Thank you.  
  
The figures were all spread out, but the woman in white could see the looks of hatred, pity, and sadness on all their faces. A blonde haired girl with her hair pulled into two ponytails cradled a small child with the same hairstyle in her arms. The woman could tell the child was dead, but the hatred of the black haired man towards the blonde was evident. There were others who held hatred were the parents of the blonde, another blond in orange, a black haired girl in red, a blue haired girl in a uniform in the same color, and a brown haired girl in green.  
"You killed her. You killed my daughter," growled the black haired man.  
"No, I didn't. I couldn't stop her," whispered the blonde.  
"No. You killed her. You could, but you didn't. You don't deserve to be a Scout," snapped the girl in red.  
"We are so disappointed in you Serena," said her mother.  
"You could have saved her," said her father.  
"But, I couldn't-"  
"Don't lie, Serena. We all saw. You could have taken the shot, but you didn't," said the other blonde.  
"You aren't our princess. Our princess was graceful and she helped others. You're just selfish," said the girl in green.  
As each person verbally attacked her the other four women and the boy grew angry. They had seen the truth. Serena couldn't have taken the shot; it would have killed the child and some of the others.  
"You aren't my daughter."  
"You aren't our princess."  
"You aren't my love. I don't love you."  
That was the final blow. Serena collapsed into a weeping heap and only moved to run away when one of the silent figures reached out to touch her. The woman in white decided to make her presence known.  
"You are a bunch of hypocrites. She didn't want to kill any of you, but you just killed her spirit."  
"And who are you?" asked the girl in red.  
"I am one who can see the truth, Sailor Mars. Or should I call you Raye. Don't worry; you won't have to worry about Serena any more. I am going to take her someplace where she won't bother you any more."  
"How?" asked the girl in blue.  
"Setsuna isn't the only one who can cross time and dimensions, Amy. I do it all the time. And I think that she won't let you anywhere near Serena once I drop her off."  
"Who are you to take our daughter?" asked Serena's father.  
"I thought that she wasn't your daughter anymore," sneered the boy next to him. "You said, 'you aren't my daughter'. So I guess that you don't deserve to worry about her anymore."  
"Sam is right. You did disown her in the presence of her, your family, and ten other people. So I lay claim to her future. I will help her create her own destiny."  
The black haired boy started to object to what the woman said, but he was cut off.  
"The future isn't written in stone. The only concrete future is when Christ returns, but even He didn't know when that would happen. So I guess that we will just have to wait won't we Darien. Good day, I am going to find Serena."  
"Wait." The woman turned to see Sam running toward her. "Take me with you. I want to go with my sister."  
"Are you sure you want to come with me? Once you leave this dimension won't be able to return. No one will remember you and even if you did return you won't be able to return to your family."  
"Serena is my family. If she goes, I go."  
"Very well. Come with me. Oh, and Inner Scouts, now that the Moon Princess is gone, you won't be able to protect the Earth that you love so much. Don't worry, if evil looks like it will take over everything, I'm sure that God will prevent it, He is in charge after all."  
The woman turned back toward the direction that Serena had run and walked away. The ones that she had identified as the Inner Scouts scowled after the departing woman and boy. Finally the silent women spoke.  
"You had no right to say that to the Princess," growled a shorthaired blonde woman.  
"She couldn't have taken the shot, it would have killed Rini and you," added the teal haired woman coldly.  
"The woman is right, you don't have to worry about the Princess any more," said a shorthaired girl.  
"And she is right in that I won't let you anywhere near the Princess once she has left the dimension," added the silent Scout of Time, Setsuna, Sailor Pluto. "I'm going back to the Time Gates. May be I can catch the Princess before she leaves for her new home."  
"Can we come, Setsuna-mama?" asked the girl.  
"Yes, we want to help also," added the blonde woman.  
The Guardian of Time nodded and the four Outer Scouts disappeared from sad scene.  
  
The woman in white followed the sound of a girl weeping and the sense of great sadness to find Serena. Sam followed close behind her, staying quiet until they found the crying girl. The woman sighed as she watched the pitiful sight. "We will have to go soon. Go back to your house and get what you and Serena need. Meet me back here and then we will leave."  
"You won't leave without me, will you?"  
The woman turned to look at him. "I promise you, when we leave you will be with us."  
"What's your name?"  
"I go by Windy. One day I may tell you what I used to be called when I lived."  
Sam was puzzled, but ran back to the people he used to call parents. He didn't even look at them when he entered the house and ran to his sister's room. He grabbed everything he thought she would need, including her Lunar Pen. Sam pet the sleeping Luna and said, "Too bad Serena couldn't say good bye herself, but she won't be coming back. Bye Luna." He left his sister's room and went into his for what he wanted.  
'Serena's leaving? Why?' asked the newly awakened Luna. She jumped down and followed the running boy back to the park where Serena was crying on Windy's shoulder. "That's the Windwalker, Windy. I haven't seen her since the Silver Millennium. Why is she here now?'  
"But I don't deserve this comfort. I killed my own child," sobbed Serena.  
"Don't you believe that. If you had tried for that shot, then you would have murdered Rini and the Scouts. You tried to save them, but even you can't stop the monster from slitting someone's throat. Even I can't do that and I'm supposed to be able to do things that no living person can. Do you think that you can out do someone sent by God Himself? You are human and so was I before I died. We all have limits that we can never overcome; we have to do the best we can with the abilities God gave us."  
"She is right Serena," said Sam. "Even I could see that you couldn't take the shot. How many people would have been killed?"  
"I don't know," she whispered.  
"Then believe the Windwalker and your brother. Now what is going on? Why are you here Windwalker?"  
"The Inner Scouts and Darien decided to blame Serena for the death of Rini. Even her own parents say that she is to blame. I am rewriting her future and sending her someplace where she can help and be happy."  
"And I'm going with her," added Sam.  
"Then take me with you."  
"And me," added a new voice.  
Windy arched her eyebrow. "And why would the Guardian cat to Sailor Venus want to come with us?"  
"Because I have left the service of the House of Venus due to the dishonor of the current holder of the office of Sailor Venus and wish to help with the protection of the Moon Princess."  
Puzzled looks were exchanged between Luna, Serena, and Sam. Windy just snorted in laughter and said, "In other words, you got mad at Mina and said that she was now on her own because she betrayed her princess."  
Artimas nodded.  
"Well, I guess that Artimas could come with us since Sailor Venus no longer needs a Lunar Guardian," admitted Luna.  
"Then everything is settled?" asked Windy.  
"It is with me," said Sam.  
"What about you Serena?"  
"Yeah, I guess. There's nothing here that I really need anymore. Where are we going?"  
"To reunite you with your twin, the Prince of the Sun. I suspect that your REAL life bond will be waiting for you also. We shall have to see."  
"LIFEBOND!!" exclaimed two cats and a boy.  
Windy stood up and helped the sad Princess of the Moon to her feet. "Yes, Life bond. The other heir to the throne of Earth, but only due to the fact that the Queen of the Earth didn't really love her husband; hers was an arranged marriage and she couldn't marry her true love, but that didn't stop them from seeing each other." Windy shook her head. "What a mess that was. It was a good thing I stepped in to do something about it." As she spoke the scenery faded into a dark mist. A shadow of a door loomed ahead of them.  
"Where are we?" asked Sam.  
"The Gates of Time," answered a mysterious voice (AN: three guesses who).  
Serena straightened her posture and readied herself for more accusations to be thrown at her. She had to remember she was a princess and must stand tall through anything.  
"We are here to serve you, Princess," said another voice. Out of the fog came four figures. When they were in two feet of the small group the figures knelt down before Serena. To say that she was surprised would be an understatement.  
"But why? I killed Rini; I don't deserve your service."  
"Yes you do. Unlike the traitors, we saw the whole picture and what could and couldn't be done," said the shorthaired blonde.  
"My mirror showed that for you to use your attack on it would reflect and kill almost everyone in the area," said the teal haired woman.  
"We understand the sacrifices that must be made. It was unfortunate that we lost Rini, but we could have lost more," said the sad shorthaired girl.  
"But I killed your friend, Hotaru," said Serena.  
"I'm sorry to say that if she hadn't charged forward so fast when you told her to wait, then she wouldn't have been killed. Your sacrifice was more painful then her death," said Hotaru.  
"Small Lady needed to learn patience, but instead she ran when she was commanded not to. We all will miss her, but it was her decision," said Setsuna, the Sailor of Pluto.  
"She is getting a talking to right now about obeying her father AND mother right now if you're interested. She may come later to apologize for her rash act," added Windy. "Now it is time to leave this dimension, your twin brother awaits."  
"We wish to come as well," said the blonde.  
"Do you know what you wish for, Haruka?" asked Windy. "As I told Sam, once you leave this dimension, then you will forever be forgotten. If you return, then no one will recognize you. Everything you worked for will disappear."  
"We realize this and we want to go. Serena is our Princess and needs our help," said the teal haired woman.  
"What if I said that there would be others to help, Michiru?" asked Windy.  
"Then we will try to work with them to protect our Princess," said Haruka.  
"And if there was a Prince to watch also?"  
"That depends on how he treats our kitten."  
Windy laughed. "Sage barely remembers his sister, but I don't think that he would deliberately hurt her. And then there is the Mars Prince and her life bond."  
"Mars Prince?" asked Michiru  
"Life bond?" asked Haruka.  
"You mean you know where they are?" asked Setsuna.  
Windy grinned. "I know something you don't know," she teased in a singsong voice. "Shall we go meet them?" The entire group faded from the foggy Gates.  
  
For once it was quiet in Toyoma when the Ronins were getting their groceries. "Geez," said a blue haired boy. "Mia sure did have a lot on the shopping list this week."  
"That's because Kento nearly emptied out the kitchen again," responded an auburn haired boy.  
"Hey, I can't help that I'm a growing boy, Cye," said the talked about Kento.  
"Growing which way?" asked the blue haired boy.  
"Not funny, Rowen," growled Kento.  
Two of the Ronins weren't paying attention to the ongoing argument. One was thinking about a dream that he had the night before and the other was trying to puzzle out the feelings he was getting when a flash of light grabbed everyone's attention.  
"What was that?" asked Kento.  
"I don't know, but we better check it out. It may be some rouge from the Dynasty," said a black haired boy.  
"I don't know, Ryo. It may be something else," said a blonde to the black haired Ryo. That is when they heard voices complaining.  
"Do you think that you could have made the landing a little more easier on us, Windwalker?" a loud female voice asked.  
"Stop complaining and get off me!" demanded another voice.  
The Ronins hurried over to where they heard the voices and was surprised by the sight. It was a pile of human women, a boy, and two cats. The cats were fine and the boy was crawling out of the pile. The rest were slowly sorting themselves out  
"Haruka, I am NOT Michiru and we are in public, so that hand had better move soon," growled a woman in white.  
"I'll move it when I can get out from under Setsuna," snapped back the shorthaired blonde called Haruka.  
The scene was so funny that the Ronins just stood in their places watching the comedy of errors that was progressing in front of them. Everything seemed to sort out quickly and smart remarks were leveled at everyone in the group. Once clothing was straightened and glares to the woman in white were brought down to a minimum the thousand-dollar question was popped. "Where in gods name are we?"  
The woman in white looked up from the boot she was adjusting and said, "Toyoma."  
"Now what do we do?" asked Haruka.  
"We find Prince Sage, Prince Ryo, and Serena's life bond," said the woman.  
"Are they near by, Windy?" asked the little girl.  
Windy stood up and stamped on her boot to settle it better on her foot. "They are very close. In fact they are right over there." She pointed over to the Ronins.  
"The Princess is going to be life bonded to one of those boys?" asked the teal haired woman.  
"What's wrong with us that you have to ask that?" demanded Kento.  
"Kento, you are going to get us in trouble one of these days," muttered Sage.  
"Well, did you hear the doubt in that lady's voice? It's not like we didn't save the world from Tulpa, Sage."  
"Sage? Did you say Sage?" asked the dark haired woman.  
"Yeah, so what?"  
"Would he be Prince Sage of the Sun Kingdom, Windwalker?" asked the woman.  
Windy looked to the group and started to laugh. "Yes, Setsuna, he would be. And the rest of that rag-tag mercenary group is with him."  
"What?!" cried the black cat.  
"Don't you remember, Luna? Sage met up with four boys while he was on Earth to meet Prince Endymon and hit it off quite well. Of course I think it had to do with him seeing Prince Ryo of Mars again. Not even he blamed Ryo for leaving Mars after the talk of treason started to gain momentum."  
"Prince Sage? Prince Ryo? Are you talking about Sage and Ryo here?" asked Rowen.  
Setsuna, Luna, and Artimas looked over to the blue haired Rowen and gasped. It was the lost Prince of Earth that Princess Serenity had bonded to so long ago. "P-p-prince Rowen?" asked Artimas.  
"What?!" chorused several voices. It degraded into many people talking at once. Windy looked over to the silent boy next to Serena and rolled her eyes at him. He looked a little more relieved when he saw the exasperated look on her face. Windy then brought order to the whole group with a shrill whistle. Quiet reigned as they all looked at her.  
"Now that everyone has met can we go someplace that we can talk without blocking traffic and have an audience?" she asked.  
"Why don't we go back to Mia's house," suggested Ryo. "Besides, we have to get the food back before Kento eats it or it goes bad." That generated laughs from three of the Ronins and a scowl from Kento.  
"Um, how are we going to get there?" asked little Hotaru.  
"I'm taking us," said Windy firmly.  
"Not after that last trip, you aren't," exclaimed Haruka. "Look at the mess we landed in."  
"That was because someone, who shall remain nameless, Haruka, wasn't doing as I had asked while I tried to sort the dimensional winds. If nobody had panicked then we would have landed on our feet and in order. Besides..." The group disappeared from the city with the car and landed in Mia's front yard. "...We're here."  
"Show off," grumbled Haruka.  
"Do you want some help with the groceries?" asked Hotaru.  
"That would be appreciated, thank you," said Cye.  
Everyone grabbed a bag and followed the Ronins into the house. "Mia, we have some company," shouted Ryo.  
"Oh, so you saw them already?" called back Mia.  
"Saw who?"  
"Us, Wildfire," said an unexpected guest. It was Kayura and the four Seasonals.  
"Oh, boy, this is going to be crowded," Ryo muttered. "No, we have some other guests, too," he called out louder.  
"What other guests could we have?" asked Mia as she walked into the living room. "Oh, where did you meet them?"  
Windy stepped forward. "You might say that they met them before, but they just don't remember. As for today, well, we almost dropped in on them." She gave Haruka a look. "It's a good thing I'm good at such problems as landing or we might have landed on them or in a lake. Lady Kayura, would you please stop that, it makes my skin itch and forces my mental shields to assume that you are an undesirable trying to get something that you shouldn't get."  
Lady Kayura focused back and looked startled. "How did you know I was doing that and how did you know who I am?"  
"Like I told the Sailor Scouts, I see the truth. I am able to know what I need, when I need it and could tell you things that would turn every belief of yours upside down."  
"Such as?" asked the green haired Seasonal.  
"That the five of you really need to talk to someone about the guilt that you are still harboring over working for Tulpa. Anubis has started to accept, but I think that was due to becoming the Ancient's successor for a period of time and certain experiences from the after life. The rest of you need to speak to someone about the depression that you're feeling."  
The whole room was startled by what the woman said. "Who do you suggest?" asked Lady Kayura.  
"Well," Windy said thoughtfully, "you could go to a pastor, but then you aren't Christian. Still, he would be your best bet." Windy looked over to Mia. "Is there somewhere we can sit these down? I think the frozen dinners are thawing."  
Mia shook herself out of her surprise and nodded. "Yes, please, come this way."  
"Do you need any help with dinner tonight? We are a pretty big group to be cooking for," Windy offered.  
"That would be a big help," claimed Cye. "I think that Mia and I could use the help."  
"Fine by me. Haruka, no fighting with the Seasonals, I do hope that you will try to be on your best behavior," she said with a tone like a harried mother. "Play nice and I won't do something you'll regret." Her last comment was with a smile, but the look in her eye said that she would carry out the threat if needed. 


	2. Chapter Two

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 2  
  
Disclaimer: Still don't own Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors. Windy is mine though.  
  
Serena looked around the room at the five older strangers left with them. "So you have problems with your conscience too?" started Serena.  
"You could say that," hedged Anubis. "Why?"  
"That group of five could tell you stories about their guilt," yelled Windy from the kitchen.  
Haruka rolled her eyes and said, "She's talking about something that we thought we had to do to save the Earth. It turns out that our princess was right and we didn't have to sacrifice one of our own."  
"But I almost got everyone killed," said Serena.  
"But you didn't," countered Setsuna. "You managed to save the Earth and Hotaru."  
"So what about your story?" asked Michiru.  
"We fought against the Ronins for a demon to take over the Earth," started Anubis.  
"But in the end we were shown that we were being used," finished Dais. "If it wasn't for Anubis changing sides, then we may have been stuck in the towers Badamon had put us in."  
"What about Windy? She said that you met these girls before, Wildfire," asked Lady Kayura.  
"Uhhh," started Ryo. "I'm not really sure."  
Windy walked into the room with Cye and Mia. "That is a story best left for dinner and afterward. I will enlighten you then."  
"Figures. We finally get to the heart of the matter and we have to wait," grumbled Rowen.  
"Patience is a virtue, Rowen. Ask Job, he can tell you all about it," said Windy sweetly.  
"Windy? You said that God won't allow the Earth to be taken over by Evil," said Sam.  
"Yes."  
"How? The Sailor Scouts were the ones that always protected the Earth from evil before."  
"Sam," started Windy. "Before the Sailor Scouts were the gleams in their parent's eyes the first time, God was there. He created the earth from nothing and called it good. When Adam and Eve brought evil into the world, He set down rules that blocked the evil from completely taking over. Think of all the things bad that has happened to you." Serena's face clouded up with tears at the thought of losing Rini again. "Now make them a million times worse." Everyone's eyes started to widen. "He has kept you and the Earth protected from any and everything imaginable that could happen. Look at the meteors that pass by the Earth in space. All their paths come close but don't actually hit the Earth. Ones that could 'wipe out the entire population of this planet' have passed us by to go on its merry way. Look at a flower. How it manages to reproduce is amazing and yet there are those who would believe there is no God. He protects them and the ones who do believe in Him. (See author's note at bottom.) Now I will get off my soapbox and let you get ready for dinner, I think it's almost done."  
  
The table was set and Cye and Mia brought out dinner. It was almost funny how everyone grouped together and Windy just smiled and shook her head. This would have to be explained soon or there might be trouble later. The conversation dragged, but some didn't notice. Kento was busy stuffing his face and Serena was too nervous to eat. The Outers on the other hand were watching the Seasonals, who were watching them in return. The Ronins, except for Kento, watched the whole exchange. When the painful dinner was over Windy rose from her place and said, "I think that we should get this story told before bloodshed is drawn." Serena and Sam stood and followed Windy into the living room. Mia followed a few minutes later.  
"Well, I guess we should clean up and join them," said Cye. He started to pick the plates.  
"I'll help you, Mr. Mouri," offered Hotaru.  
Cye smiled. "It's Cye, not Mr. Mouri."  
Hotaru returned the smile. "Cye."  
Setsuna looked at her adopted child and joined the two. Michiru elbowed Haruka and the two joined in clearing the table. Ryo stood and pulled Rowen with him. "Come on, we have to do dishes tonight."  
Rowen groaned, but followed his leader into the kitchen to help dry the dishes as Ryo washed.  
"They know their jobs," said Kayura. "May be you guys should take notes." The four Seasonals looked disgusted at the thought. Kento and Sage smirked at the thought of Cale or Dais washing dishes.  
"What's so funny, Hardrock?" growled Dais.  
"You up to your elbows in soapy water," laughed Kento. He quickly retreated into the living room where the landlady and a powerful force resided.   
When the dishes were done and everyone was settled in the living room, Windy started her tale. Looking up from the fire she was staring into she said, "The Silver Millennium wasn't as peaceful as Queen Serenity wanted you to believe. There was trouble not just from the Negaverse on Earth, but also from the Inner planets. They had been disgruntled for a long time and soon decided to break away and form their own monarchy. But to do this, they had to take away the power of the Moon Queen."  
"How could they take away, let alone use the Silver Crystal?" asked Luna.  
Windy closed her eyes. "They weren't after the Crystal. They were after the two children of the Moon Queen and Sun King. They were after Princess Serena and her twin brother Prince Sage."  
  
AN: Yes, I do believe this. I was told about the picture of the meteor paths that went by the Earth and it looked like a spider's web with the Earth in the middle. Also think about this. When the awful tragedies on September 11 happened, how many people were on those planes that crashed? They weren't filled to capacity as they usually are. I'm not as well versed with the tower deaths, but from what I know it was mostly rescue workers and firemen. How many people were office building workers? Think about it. Flame me if you wish, but I'm not forcing you to believe what I believe. Just like C. S. Lewis you can get a real meaning from this story or just enjoy it as a good/bad/mediocre story. 


	3. Chapter Three

Silver Millenium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 3  
  
Disclaimer: Not even Santa can give me Sailor Moon or the Ronin Warriors. Darn. But I keep Windy.  
  
All was silent as Windy explained what she said. "The planets of Mercury, Venus, and Mars were unhappy with Queen Serenity. Jupiter was sitting on the fence and the Outer planets were paying attention, but they couldn't do much to help the queen. When the Royalty of Earth wanted to join the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity thought that it would save the crumbling society. Unfortunately, it didn't. It jsut spead it along."  
  
Princess Serenity looked at the Scouts assigned to protect her. The scouts of Mercury, Venus, and Mars pretty much ignored her, but Jupiter's representative seemed to like her. When Prince Sage came in with his friend Prince Ryo of Mars, the temperature thawed a little, but that was only becasue of the presence of good looking boys in the room. Princess Serenity wanted out now.  
"Sage would you and Ryo like to see the gardens?"  
"Why, we were-" The princess gave her brother a pleading look and he changed his mind. "Going to ask you if you wanted to come with us."  
Prince Ryo looked at the exchange and kept his mouth shut. He saw the looks given to the small princess. Even his sister didn't like the girl; she had been listening to their father too long.  
After the trio left Princess Raye, the Sailor Scout of Mars, barked out a harsh laugh. "I can't believe we have to guard _that_. She's suppose to rule after her mother?! May be we should leave now before that nitwit takes over."  
Princess Lita, Jupiter's Scout, frowned. "Don't be so hard on her. She has a lot of pressure to deal with. Look at how the Earth Queen wants her to marry her son."  
"I don't see why she wouldn't want to, after all Prince Endymion is gorgous," said Princess Mina, Sailor Scout to Venus.  
"I tend to agree with Sailor Mars. I have to watch Princess Serenity during her classes and she just blows them off. She isn't fit to lead when the time comes. Her brother would be better suited for the job if he didn't have to go to the Sun Kingdom."  
"You seem to forget that she is the one who was chosen by the Crystal," came a cool voice.  
"Yes," followed another. A boyish blonde Sailor and a teal haired Sailor stepped out of the shadows. "To talk of treason will get you stripped of your powers and take away any right to the throne of your planet," said the teal haired Sailor of Neptune, Princess Michiru.  
The pair walked past the Inner Scouts and continued out to the gardens where their princess was talking to her brother and his friend. Princess Lita looked at the other three and got up. Without a word she followed the to Outer Scouts to the garden.  
  
Princess Serenity sighed and smiled at her brother and the prince of Mars. "Thanks for going with me. If I had to stay in there any longer, I'd probably go mad or be killed by 'accident'."  
"I can't believe that Raye is listening to Father. He wasn't even a high rank noble when Mother married him. Now that he's King of Mars, he's ruling everything, even Mother."  
"That doesn't sound good," commented Sage.  
Ryo shook his head. "It's not. With Raye the heir to the throne, he spends more time with her and keeps telling her what she should think. Unfortunately, the other nobles agree with him and not with Mother."  
Serenity looked worried. "If the next Sailor Mars doesn't learn what her mother knows, then the whole society will be lost."  
"You mean that if all the inner sailors don't learn what their mothers and predicessors know, then society is lost," corrected Sage.  
Ryo looked worried. "From the way things are going on Mars, I don't think that it will be very long before Mother and Raye are called back."  
"And if they are called back, then the others will go too," said Serenity.  
"NOt all of us," said a new voice.  
Sailors Uranus and Neptune entered the circle of three in the garden. Princess Serenity and Price Sage smiled at the older Sailors and Prince Ryo nodded his head. Sailor Jupiter watched from the side lines and wondere why the strong Outer Sailor would ally with the Moon and it's royality.  
"I know for a fact that our planets, Saturn, and Pluto will stay with you. It's too bad that Sailor Saturn must sleep, we could probably use her help," mused Princess Michiru, Sailor of Neptune.  
"And with Setsuna at the Time Gates, that leaves us with just us two and whatever loyal people," added Princess Haruka, SAilor of Uranus.  
Sailor Jupiter watched as the five sat and talked about the problems of the dying Silver MIllienum, when she felt a presence next to her. It was a strange woman in all white. She wore a blue and purple braided cord in her hair, but that wasn't what she noticed first. The woman was armed heavily with knives and walked like an assassin. The Princess Lita of Jupiter wondered if she should help her princess or if she should see if the stranger would attempt to kill the Moon Princess.  
"Make your decision soon, little Lita, for one day you will have to make good on it." The woman spoke quietly and then made her presence known to the group. "May I join this gathering? I find that some of the people here are quite, hmm, how to say this nicely, _snotty_."  
"And who would that be?" asked a tensed Sailor Uranus.  
"You want chapter and verse? Let's see, the noblity of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and especially Earth, except of course the Earth Queen and her second son. And then there's the Queen of Mars, but she's so beaten down by her husband, I don't think she would dare give me the time of day if I asked."  
"And why would they not liek you?" asked Princess Serenity.  
"Because I, pubilicly, said that any who oppose Queen Serenity and her children will have to face the Windwalker, me. I made good on that threat too, by the way. The idiot king from Mars will be standing for dinner for a while while his burned backside heals." Windy was smiling thoughtfully as she ended that thought.  
Ryo was shocked. "You did that?"  
"Yes."  
Ryo approached the Windwalker and surprised her by hugging her. "Thank you! You have no idea how much I wanted to see him taken down a peg."  
"Shouldn't you be a little mad? I know that your sister was. She almost got her attack shoved back down her throat."  
"Raye tried to attack you?"  
"No, her mother stopped her just in time. But if looks could kill, I would be dead, again." This brought chuckles from the tense group. The Windwalker was accepted into the group.  
  
It was time for dinner when the group walked back to the palace. The Prince Endymion of eArth came forward and claimed Princess Serenity with a glare at the rest of the group. Prince Sage scowled at the retreating prince's back and muttered about possessiveness.  
"If Princess Serenity does marry that one, she will be broken in three months and may be dead after their first child," propheced the Windwalker.  
"Don't say that!" exclaimed a voice from near the floor. "Their marriage will bring the Silver Millenium back from the brink."  
The Windwalker looked down to the floor at the black cat that admonished her. "No, it will destroy it worse than any evil that would try. He will claim everything and make it like the King of Mars has done to the Queen of Mars and her planet. If the Princess does manage to survive the birth of her child, Endymion would make it learn to hate her." The Windwalker shook her head. "It would be best it some evil force did attack." As she said this she looked at a wall, but seemed to look through it and not at it. The look lasted a few moments, but when it ended the Windwalker looked sad and the rest of the group felt a chill. The woman in white knew something was coming in the near future.  
"Ryo, father wishes you to eat with us tonight, not with _those_ _people_," said a harsh voice. The group looked to see the Princess of Mars tapping her foot and looking impatient. "Come on," she ground out.  
"Go," said Sage quietly. "We don't want you to get in more trouble then you already are."  
Ryo gave a sick smile and joined his sneering sister. He gave one last look and left. Sage looked just as sick and the Sailors looked sad as they lost one more friend.  
"See, Luna," said the Windwalker. "It is beginning and the Silver Millenium will not last with such as those who come into power."  
Luna couldn't say anything because she also saw what her queen refused to see. They were walking a fine line and one day they will fall to one side or the other. May be the Windwalker was right, it may be best if an outside force did disrupt everything before it tore the solar system apart.  
Dinner looked like the Civil War to the Wildwalker. She could see the Union on one side and the Confederate on the other. Only this time there was no joining again as treason was dicussed openly in the hall and the queen couldn't do anything, but try to ignore it. The Windwalker winced as she saw a bruise on Prince Ryo's face forming. The harsh king must have "disiplined" him again.  
"Lady Windwalker, I didn't catch your name when you were being introduced," stared a white cat. The room quieted as they listened for the answer to a possible ally or enemy.  
"I go by the name Windy, lord advisor," answered the Windwalker. She looked at the blue haired boy hiding by the EArth Queen and the black haired boy edging away from his Martian family. 'Go to my room, you will find peace there,' she quietly sent to the troubled boys. She would be up late tonight giving comfort and healing to them.  
  
"And that's where the story starts, but I'm getting thristy and some are ready to fall asleep," said Windy.  
Sam started up and tried to look awake. "No, I'm not," he protested.  
"Yes you are and so are some others. We will continue this tomorrow. Is there any place that we can crash for the night, MIa?" asked Windy.  
"Yeah, come on, I'll see what I have," answered the hostess.  
Rooms were found for all the guests and sleep was quick to come. And with the sleep came dreams of the past and each person's role in the failing society of the Silver Millenium. 


	4. Chapter Four

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 4  
  
  
The rating has been upped to PG due to a couple of swear words and a slightly violent scene.  
  
  
Disclaimer: Christmas is almost over and I didn't get either Sailor Moon or Ronins Warriors. Oh, well.  
  
  
I was asked by one person to share the dreams everyone had, so I'll do my best. I write this as I go so it comes off the top of my head and with some suggestions I get. I want to thank everyone who reviews it makes my day.  
  
  
  
Sleep came to everyone in the house, but dreams were waiting for them. Even the ageless Sailor Pluto and small Sailor Saturn dreamed of what happened during the last doomed days of the Silver Millennium. They and Sam watched as third person observers, but the others watched their past selves interact. In another dimension, five people dream of a lost memory and person who should have been important to them.  
  
  
Ryo watched as he listened to his Martian father berate his mother for agreeing with Queen Serenity. The Martian king slapped her across her face and the Ryo saw his sister smile at the sight. She was enjoying seeing her mother abused by this man. Ryo felt sick and started to slip away.  
  
"You may be king, but I'm still the Queen and Sailor of Mars," quietly announced the Martian queen. "You can do what you want to me and twist our daughter from her true path, but I won't let you do anything against our Queen."  
  
Ryo waited in the shadows to see what her announcement would bring. Tears slipped down his face as he watched his poor mother beaten within an inch of her life. A quick glance from his mother sent Ryo out the door and to the offered refuge of the Windwalker on the other side of the castle.  
  
  
Rowen listened to his father speak to his older half brother and the four generals. His mother sat next to him and winced once in a while. Rowen turned a questioning look to his mother and she shook her head. May be she would tell him later.  
  
The Earth king turned to his "loving" wife. "I hope that you are proud of yourself. Bringing that _boy_ with us. Everyone knows that he is yours, but not mine. Even Endymion heard the talk around the Court of how you must have taken a lover. You and him shame the whole Earth Court." Next to him Endymion sneered at his mother and his half brother.  
  
Rowen bristled, but a hand on his knee and an imperceptible shake from Nephrite's head stopped him from saying anything. The Queen, on the other hand, decided to let her feelings be heard by her "charming" husband and her ungrateful child. "You talk about the shame being on your head. You seem to forget that _I'm_ the rightful ruler of Earth and you are my consort. We were betrothed to wed, but I will have you know that I would rather be with the one I love, then be with the likes of you. I pity our poor planet if Endymion comes to power, for he will ruin it. And I pity the poor Princess, I will no longer give my support to _your_ effort of having her marry Endymion."  
  
The Earth Queen rose to her feet and left the room with Rowen hurrying behind her. He could feel the dagger glares he received from his "father" and half brother, but he didn't care. The Windwalker had offered him a safe haven and he was going to tell his mother about it. May be she wouldn't mind an extra person in her rooms.  
  
His mother glanced back at her blue haired son. "I know about the invitation, Rowen. Go ahead. I plan on staying with Queen Serenity tonight in hopes of convincing her to end the engagement. I can't imagine why I even thought that Endymion would not be like his father, but he is and I'm not going to have the Princess' blood on my hands."  
  
"Are you sure, Mother? The Lady Windy seemed open enough to allow anyone to come."  
  
She smiled at her son. Why was he the thoughtful one and not his brother? May be it did have something to do with love. "No, but I think that some of the others might be there. May be she can help you escape."  
  
Rowen nodded and hurried off the Windwalker's room. He hoped that she would be able to help him, it was too bad that he couldn't have escaped back to the mercenary guards that he was with for so long.  
  
  
Sage and Serena stood with their mother in her rooms. Luna and Artimas were giving the end of the day report and the looks on their faces showed the hopelessness of the situation. They were quickly loosing Mars, Venus, and Mercury and Jupiter still hadn't chosen a side. The Moon Queen glanced at her daughter. "It's up to you now, Serenity. You must marry Prince Endymion so that the peace will be restored."  
  
"But Mother-"  
  
"No buts, Serenity. This is the only way." Queen Serenity ended the conversation and asked for the rest of the report.   
  
The only new information was the Sun King asking for his son at the Earth Autumn Equinox. Serenity sighed quietly in relief to hear that her brother would be with her for a little longer. A knock on the door ended the report as the Earth Queen and Sailors Uranus and Neptune entered the room.  
  
"Queen Serenity, I must speak to you, alone," requested the queen.  
  
"Of course, please, sit down."  
  
The earth woman looked down for a moment then raised her head and started. "I think that you should call off the engagement. Let me speak before you say anything. Endymion and his father are not the men that they appear to be. I have seen Endymion treat little Serenity with little to no respect as a husband should and openly flirts with other women in her presence. Once they are married, he will get her pregnant and go on to the next woman who catches his eye. He will do anything to break her spirit or kill her. Please for the love of your daughter, call off the engagement."  
  
The Moon Queen looked at her friend and shook her head. "I can't. Our society is crumbling fast and Serenity and Endymion's marriage may save it. Serenity, I want you and everyone else to leave, I must speak with the Earth Queen alone."  
  
Everyone bowed and left. Once the doors were closed, Serenity turned to her brother and wept on his shoulder. He folded his arms around her and tried to comfort her the best he could. Luna and Artimas watched with sorrow and knew that the Earth Queen was right, Endymion would break her or kill her. Sailor Uranus was watching the corridor while Sailor Neptune stood guard over the royal twins. Uranus saw two shadows moving silently toward her position and she stepped out to challenge them. It was Prince Ryo and Prince Rowen with pale faces and worried expressions.  
  
"What are you two doing here. Shouldn't you be with your families?" asked the Sailor of Uranus.  
  
Ryo shook his head. "I wouldn't want to be there at all. Father was beating mother again and Raye was watching. I was getting sick."  
  
"I didn't want to be with 'Father' anymore than Ryo did," said Rowen. "I get enough of his and Endymion's taunting with mother around, but if I was alone with them, I don't think I would survive."  
  
"Then where were you going?" asked Artimas.  
  
"The Lady Windwalker invited us to her rooms for some peace," said Ryo. "I met up with Rowen trying to find her rooms."  
  
"I know where they are," hiccuped Serenity. "I can take you to them." She left the comfort of her brother's arms and led the group to the dignitary's wing. In a far corner, the Moon Princess knocked on a door, which opened by itself.  
  
"Come in," invited a voice. "I have been expecting you."  
  
The Windwalker was sitting in a chair next to a burning fire, reading a small book. Candles around the room gave off the scent of apples and cinnamon; it went from an impersonal room to a pleasant comforting place. Once Serenity entered the room, she ran right to the woman and fell to her knees, crying into the Lady's lap. Windy put down her book and stroked the crying girl's hair and mummer to her in a soft voice.  
  
"We heard your offer and wanted to see if we could take you up on it," said Ryo.  
  
Windy looked up. "Of course you're welcome. I wouldn't have made the offer if I wasn't going to honor it."  
  
The rest of the group shuffled in and settled near the woman and the crying princess. Prince Sage explained what had happened in his mother's room and Prince Rowen told what he knew. The two Royal Advisors shook their heads and agreed with the distraught Earth Queen. "Serenity is loosing her hold over her kingdom," said Windy, "and she wants to try to keep it for as long as possible. Unfortunately, you must allow for change, but this isn't the good type. I'm sorry to say that any way we look at it; the Silver Millennium is doomed. How it will die is anyone's guess."  
  
"But you know," an unexpected voice said.  
  
"True, Sailor Pluto, but I can see many paths that lead to its destruction," said Windy. "Only God and Time knows how it will end. Please, sit. You don't leave the Gates often and I know that you are lonely."  
  
The mysterious sailor took the invitation and settled next to her fellow sailors. One was missing and those who knew it felt the absence keenly; the others just knew that something wasn't quite right.  
  
The discussion turned from the unpleasant thoughts of arranged marriages and treason to the current Court gossip. There wasn't much left to laugh about, but Windy managed to lift their spirits with stories of things that happened to her and made the forget the troubling times for a little while.  
  
  
Kento, Cye, Kayura, and the four Seasonals were surprised to find they were dreaming as well, but they weren't on the Moon with their friends. They found themselves on Earth in a rough camp talking with other people eating with them.  
  
"That _king_ and his son is going to ruin this planet," muttered one soldier.  
  
"But what can we say? Ever since we were discovered with Prince Rowen, we've been banished from the capital," answered another.  
  
"Hey, Cale, get your sister to bring me some more stew, will ya," called a third man from a tent.   
  
The dreamers looked at each other and wondered "Sister?"  
  
"He means you, Kayura," said the second soldier. "Just be careful. Here, take this. You're too pretty for the likes of this camp and our new _captain_."  
  
Kayura took the long dagger and the bowl of stew. She entered the tent and set the stew on an empty piece of table and turned to leave. A hand landing on her arm stopped her progress and she turned to see the captain of the soldiers leering at her.  
  
"Why don't you stay and keep me company? I'm sure that I could find something for you to do."  
  
Kayura was speechless for one second before lashing out the dagger given to her by the soldier. "I don't think so. Leave me alone, and you may be able to keep your body parts."  
  
The captain unhanded her with a curse and shoved her out the tent. She returned to the group and offered the dagger back to the kind soldier. He shook his head.  
  
"You keep it. You may need it again and I can always make or buy another." Kayura nodded her head and thanked the soldier before returning to her seat next to Anubis and Cale.  
  
The dreamers listened to the talk and learned more about their situation. Rowen had been a part of their mercenary group until they had reached the Earth Capital. He was soon discovered by the queen's guards as the son she had given up and was sneaked into the palace to visit her. The dreamers felt that they had helped him sneak in and covered for him when someone was looking for him. One day the king discovered that his wife had a second son a year younger then Endymion. He had a troop of his guards take Rowen back to the castle and leave instructions for the mercenary group to leave and forget all about Rowen. There was one problem though, the captain at the time was Rowen's father and he wanted his son back. The king ordered him killed and exiled the rest of the group to the outer reaches of the kingdom with a new captain that he had chose to take over. Since then, they were lucky to even get good jobs, let alone paid.  
  
"If our _king_ keeps up this madness, we will be sitting ducks for Beryl when she makes her move," said the first soldier.  
  
"She is making her move," said another soldier. "I heard that she is marching this way and plans on using any and everyone she can get to take over."  
  
"Great. We lose one tyrant and gain another," grumbled a fifth.  
  
"I also heard that she was planning on attacking the Moon Kingdom for the Silver Crystal. It is the only thing that can stop the dark magic backing her."  
  
The conversation ran an hour more, then everyone settled down to sleep.  
  
The dreamers felt like they were living several days in one night as they watched what happened. They were surprised to see three people walking toward them on what seemed to be the forth day. It was Ryo, Rowen, and Windy. They stopped at the edge of the camp and waited for the captain to come out.  
  
"What do you want?" he sneered.  
  
"We wish to join your group," said Ryo.  
  
The captain looked closer at the two boys and recognized them. "You're the bastard prince, Rowen," he said startled.  
  
"And that is a problem?" asked Windy.  
  
"Hell, yes! If the king finds him here, he'll kill us all."  
  
The dreamers were startled to see Windy draw a knife and hold it at the captain's throat. "You will take them and leave the area; or you will die within the next twenty-four hours, and not by my hand."  
  
The captain sneered at the woman holding him up. "No. I have a healthy regard for my life and the king is paying me to stay away from that whelp. He's not joining us again."  
  
Windy looked straight at him and stepped to the side. An arrow buzzed through the air and into the mercenary captain's heart. The archer who shot the arrow looked at the dead man and spat on the ground. "Next time you defile a girl, make sure she doesn't have brothers in the guards." He turned and left the group without a backward glance.  
  
"Who was that?" whispered Cye.  
  
"A vengeful man against this worm of a man," replied Windy. "The archer's sister was raped by this toad and left for dead. I didn't have anything to do with him finding this slug, but if he took my bargain, he would have lived. It was his loss."  
  
"So who will be our captain now?" asked the second soldier from the first night.  
  
"Whomever you decide. You know who is worthy and who isn't. I just want to make sure that Ryo and Rowen are in your group."  
  
"Sure, we'll take them."  
  
"Then I thank you. My last piece of advice is for you to leave this area. You don't know how right you are when you said that Beryl was coming this way." Windy turned and left the mercenary group. Rowen was welcomed back into the arms of his friends and Ryo was introduced to the art of mercenary work.   
  
The dream skipped to a week later where Beryl attacked the city they were staying at. The mercenaries fought hard to protect the city, but were all killed by Beryl's troops. The survivors of the city were brought over to Beryl's side by her dark magic and the raids continued.  
  
  
When everyone woke the next morning, they had questions for the strange woman in white. She was in the kitchen starting breakfast when the first of the residents came down. She shook her head and said to wait for everyone to come down before she would answer any questions.  
  
  
  
I'm thinking about bringing Lita into the story again. So I would like your opinion and please give a reason. If I do bring her into the story again, she will have a hard time convincing everyone about her sincerity so I won't be going that easy on her. Please let me know.  
--Rocky Oberlin  
rachelo@pathwaynet.com 


	5. Chapter Five

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 5  
  
  
Disclaimer: I'm not Sunrise Inc. or Naoko Takeuchi so I don't own the Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon.  
  
  
By popular demand, so far everyone said to bring Lita back. I even got a few suggestions on how and why. Thank you for the feedback and I hope you enjoy how I do this.  
  
  
  
Windy waited until she was sure that everyone in the house was asleep before winding her way to a different dimension. She was about to see if there was one who would finally make a stand, but first they had to realize what they were missing. The traitors would dream tonight of a friend and love lost.  
  
  
Windy stepped into the shrine where the priestess slept in a restful slumber. She and the others were not going to have such peace after Windy was done. Windy looked at the former princess of Mars with a hard look and started her spell. Images drifted into the traitor's mind and started to tell a story. Across Tokyo, four others also started to dream, but one was happy to see the memories just beyond her reach.  
  
Windy followed the joy to an apartment. She stealthily climbed to stairs to a door and walked through. The apartment had sparse furniture, but was covered with what were once healthy plants. Now they were drying up and dying. Windy went into the kitchen and drew up water from the sink too full with dishes and watered the innocent plants. Windy not wanting to leave the job half finished, quietly washed the dishes and put them away. She continued to monitor the feelings from the bedroom where the dreamer watched history unfold itself. When the dream came to the betrayal, the dreamer cried out in her sleep.  
  
"No, don't say that! She's innocent. She couldn't stop it! Don't leave her!"   
  
Windy moved to the bedroom door and watched the dreamer scream and wake herself up. Lita didn't see the woman in white as she sobbed and berated herself for betraying and then forgetting a friend. "Why did you do that?!" she screeched to herself. "Why did you betray the first friend that wasn't afraid of you?"  
  
"That is what I want to know," came a quiet voice.  
  
Lita looked up to see Windy standing in her bedroom door with a hard look on her face. She tried several times to try to say something, anything, but she couldn't say a word.  
  
"You do know that you broke her heart, don't you? She was so depressed that she was like a deep, black pit. She only snapped out of it when she found that she had a life bond waiting for her."  
  
Lita paled at the description of what Serena had become. The girl wasn't meant to be depressed; she was the symbol of sunshine and fun. Bubbly came to mind when asked to describe her, but not a pit. The only time she was depressed was when... Darien... left... her...  
  
"It was worse this time, Sailor Jupiter, Princess of Jupiter. If left alone, I wouldn't doubt that she would have contemplated suicide. Count your blessings that she was stopped before it occurred to her."  
  
Lita stared at the woman and Windy looked back. "Can I see her again?" Lita finally croaked.  
  
Windy looked hard at the scout of Jupiter. "It depends. Go to your friends here and see what happens. Then make your decision. I'll see you in three days." Windy faded from view and returned to Mia Koji's house. She had breakfast to make and questions to answer.  
  
  
Lita didn't sleep well for the rest of the night. Over and over her mind played the betrayal, only this time she found Serena passed out next to a fountain with her wrists slit. Lita would scream herself awake and cry herself to sleep only to start again. Daybreak found the exhausted woman looking out her window. Today she would see if she still had friends or if they would leave her just as quickly as they had left Serena.  
  
Lita walked to school and saw Mina and Amy. Both were talking to each other, but that didn't seem normal as the other students looked at them with surprise. She hurried to speak with them, but heard something that broke her heart.  
  
"Here comes the tomboy. I wonder if she will be sending someone else to the hospital this week."  
  
Amy just nodded her head and pretended to listen to the blonde. "I'm sure that she just has a hard time making friends."  
  
Mina raised her eyebrow. "Do you want to be her friend, Amy?"  
  
Amy blushed and said, "I'm too busy, and I can't be anyone's friend."  
  
They ran to class as the first bell rang. Lita followed the girls a little slower and was almost late. She just missed having a detention when she was "accidentally" kicked in the leg passing a student after completing a problem on the board. She could see the expression on the teacher's face. "Nothing but trouble waiting to happen."  
  
After school, Lita was going to go to her cooking club, but remembered that she wasn't a member anymore since everything changed. She went, instead, to the arcade where she would see Andrew and Darien. May be they'll recognize her.  
  
It was just as bad there too. Andrew watched her, but not with interest. Lita almost expected him to tell her to leave before she "started another fight". People gave her wide berth and Darien just ignored her. There was no Serena to brighten up the arcade or Darien. Lita left with a sigh and tried her last best friend. May be Raye would remember her.  
  
The steps of the shrine were deserted and Lita could hear Raye's grandfather yelling at her again.  
  
"That was the only person who would come here and donate money. Now that you ran him off, what will we do? Did you think of that? This temple may close because we couldn't pay its bills!"  
  
"Oh, shut up!"  
  
Lita stopped at what she heard. The temple was going to close? Raye telling her grandfather to shut up? That wasn't the Raye she knew. The Raye she knew was respectful of her grandfather even though she yelled at him and cared for the temple.  
  
Raye came barging down the steps and almost collided with Lita. "Watch where you're going!" screamed Raye as she continued on her way. Lita as stunned.  
  
"She changed almost overnight. She once was a caring girl, but she lost something. You did too."  
  
Lita looked down, startled, at the small man. He just looked up at her and motioned her to enter the temple. He led her to the fire room where he sat down and really looked at her.  
  
"You lost the same thing my granddaughter lost, except you know it and regret it."  
  
"Yes. I saw someone who said they may give it back to me, but I don't know if she will."  
  
The priest turned to the fire and looked into its depths. "She will give it back if you really want it, but you will have to earn what was once freely given. Make your choice soon because she won't hold the door open forever. Once it is closed, you will forget just as my granddaughter and the others have."  
  
Lita studied the old man. She bowed and said, "Thank you for your help."  
  
He smiled and said, "Your welcome."  
  
Lita dug in her school bag and took out the last of her money. "Here, I want you to have this."  
  
"I can't," protested the priest.  
  
Lita shook her head. "For the advice. May be I won't need it anymore if I do make the right choice."  
  
The priest of the shrine took the money and thanked Lita again. Lita left with a lighter heart and her decision made. She had helped her friend's grandfather one last time and now she will try to earn back the love and friendship that she so willingly gave up one horrible night.  
  
  
It was hard for Lita. The next two days were almost a nightmare, but the one she lived in her dreams were a thousand times worse. She could still see Serena running off and be found dead somehow. The death always changed, but she was still dead. The last night Lita hoped to be in this dimension, she had a different dream. She saw Serena with a boy who was always in the shadows. Serena looked at her with hatred in her eyes then turned to the shadowy figure. "There is nothing here for me, let's go." She would leave Lita standing there, totally bereft of the one true friend she had ever had.  
  
"Now that's not true," a whispered voice chided her. "There is another, but you have to asked Him. He's waiting for you, all you have to do is ask. He will do the rest."  
  
Lita cried in her sleep that night and Windy could only watch. She knew someone was talking to the Jovian Princess, but she didn't mettle with the dream. It was all up to Lita on how things would go when she was taken back. Windy turned and followed the familiar path to the Moon family again. She would have to warn them of the coming person.  
  
  
"You are going to do what?" Haruka growled out the question and looked ready to beat the Windwalker into the ground. There were several who looked like they wanted to do the same, but were a little more cautious.  
  
"I'm bringing Lita, Sailor of Jupiter, Jovian Princess, back to her duty, may be. We shall see," said the woman in white calmly. She continued to read a book that looked like it had seen several wars.  
  
"I can't believe you're bringing one of the traitors here," spat Sage.  
  
Windy looked up at the Prince of the Sun, her eyes hard and dark blue that was seen in the mysterious depths of water. "Have I explained nothing to you? The Sailor of Jupiter and her planet was never able to say one way or the other whose loyalty they were going to pledge to before the attack. Now she will make her stand. We shall see what she will do." She turned back to her book and ignored the glares and hard stares directed toward her.  
  
When dinner came, she didn't join the rest of the group, but left the house and went someplace else. She returned with a satisfied look and an empty brown paper bag with grease marks on it, only to return to her book. At one point she looked at the fire and a sad look crossed her face. Ryo looked at the fire and only saw darkness in its heart. Something was bothering the spirit woman.  
  
At midnight she left the house for the last time to the dimension the Moon family had gone to. She returned with a frightened and dazed Sailor Jupiter. A frown and a shake of her head stopped any questions or comments from those still awake. Something had happened to the pair before they had returned to the house. Anubis didn't like the cold feeling he was getting and Ryo saw darkness in the heart of the fire again. What had they faced?  
  
  
AN: I will go through the explanations in the next chapter whenever I get that out. We'll see. Until next time, God be with you and may your life show His Peace.  
  
Rocky 


	6. Chapter Six

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 6  
  
I have been asked to write more. I hope that you enjoy this.  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned the Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon, I would have a paved driveway, a decent car, and a snow blower. Since I don't have any of them, I don't.  
  
  
  
~~The morning after the dreams~~  
"Okay, we're all up, so tell us what our dreams about," demanded Anubis.  
  
Windy looked up from the dish she was passing and answered him straight. "You, the other three Seasonals, Kayura, Cye, and Kento were mercenaries. Ryo and Rowen were put into your group to hide them from their families."  
  
"Cale and I were siblings?" asked Kayura.  
  
"In a way," responded Windy. "You didn't have families, per say. You adopted each other because you were both alone. That was how it was with Ryo and Rowen when I brought them to the group again. The lot of you adopted them into your group and were pretty surprised by Ryo's expertise in his chosen weapons."  
  
"Which was what?" asked Ryo.  
  
"What do you expect? Katana."  
  
"So I could always use the bow?" asked Rowen.  
  
Windy nodded. "You were almost a natural. If you and Sailor Mars had gone against each other, it would have been pretty much a draw."  
  
Serena smiled. "Yes, she was good at archery." Her face dropped. "Too bad she did what she did."  
  
"It's too bad they all did what they did," said Hotaru.  
  
Windy bowed her head. She knew that there was one that was working out her feelings towards Serena. "Unfortunately history can repeat itself. I am hoping that something will change, though," she said quietly.  
  
"So how did they get into our mercenary group?" asked Cye  
  
Windy smiled and looked off into the distance. "Well, the day after I had Sage, Serena, Ryo, and the Outer Scouts in my rooms at the palace, I snuck Ryo and Rowen out of the palace."  
  
"Why?" asked Rowen.  
  
"You know how you dreamed about the king complaining that his wife was unfaithful and had you? Well, the next morning the Earth king decided to really nail you. He was beating you when your mother walked into the room. She did something that she hardly ever did; she fought back her husband and used the powers of Earth against him. She hurried you out before he could do more against either of you and almost ran to my room. While she was there, the Martian queen and you, Ryo, came to my door. Your father decided that he had to start on your "reeducation" when your mother came in. She also overpowered her husband with her planet's power and rushed you out." Rowen paled and shook at how close his past and present closely meshed. Windy gave him a sad look that said, "I'm sorry". She continued, "Both your mothers knew that the only way to save the two of you was to get you out of the Martian and Earth court. Rowen, you mentioned that your father was a leader of a mercenary group and your mother suggested that you go to him. They said that they would cover for you, but you would have to leave quickly. I said that I could have you there in that morning and they agreed. Ryo, your mother gave you a dagger with a ruby on the hilt. I took both of you to the mercenary group and let them take you into their ranks. When I checked up on you once, you had made friends with each other, but Rowen, you were pining for Serenity." Rowen blushed and looked down. Serena tried to laugh it off, but she was getting knowing grins from Haruka and Michiru. Windy smiled and said, "Life Bonds are like that. It is love at first sight or it never happens."  
  
"What about our life in the palace?" asked Sage. "Serena and I were twins and Serena was suppose to marry Prince Endymon, but what happened?"  
  
"And when did Rowen and I fall in love?" asked Serena.  
  
"Give me some time and I will tell you. Sage wanted to know about palace life and it ties in with how the two of you met Ryo and Rowen." Windy cleared her dishes and settled in the living room. Everyone followed her example and left the dishes for later.   
  
"Well, Sage, you met Ryo when the Martian queen brought her daughter to the Moon to be taught as Sailor Mars. You were visiting your mother and sister for an Earth season and while Queen Serenity had her daughter in the Council Room meeting one of her new "protectors" you had time on your hands. You wandered into the practice room to- how did you put it- relieve stress. You met Ryo practicing with a pair of practice katanas and you were a little, hmm, rude to him."  
  
Sage raised an eyebrow and Ryo looked questioning. "Rude? How was I rude?"  
  
Windy grinned and the Outer Sailors answered in grins of their own. Even though Sailor Saturn had been asleep during the Silver Millennium, her sleep was brushed by dreams of what was happening to her fellow soldiers. It was especially nice when they had gone to the Moon; she was able to see her Queen, Princess, and Prince. She had dreamt of what happened as the past Sailors Uranus and Neptune were in the practice room when the first meeting occurred.  
  
"Well, you basically called him a commoner who had no right to be in the 'private practice room of the Sailors and Royalty'. Ryo, you just looked at him and continued with your practice. It wasn't until Sage grabbed a sword to stop you that you had your- fight."  
  
Both friends looked surprised. "We fought?" asked Ryo.  
  
"Oh, yes. The palace healers were scolding you two for that stunt," laughed Artimas. "Your mother, Ryo, was telling you how you should be more polite to the hosts of the house you were staying in and Queen Serenity was just looking at you, Sage, with such disappointment."  
  
"If I recall," added Luna. "She yelled at you at some length after you two had retreated to her rooms. You came out so red and disgusted that you made the comment about returning to the Sun instead of staying."  
  
"I remember that," mused Serena. "I begged, pleaded-"  
  
"And cried," added Sage.  
  
Serena scowled at her brother. "-And cried to keep you with me for a little longer."  
  
"As I recall, Sailor Mars was looking at you with disgust as she watched you with your brother," said Michiru.  
  
"Yes," added her partner. "I had a talk with her later about treating you with proper respect. She said that she would do as she pleased and no hick from the outer planets will tell her what to do. I almost used my sword on her."  
  
"But you had your revenge on her later during practice," said Setsuna. "You had her for a partner and you almost sent her to the infirmary to get patched up."  
  
Haruka smiled. "Yeah, I did. That was fun."  
  
"Don't get too blood thirsty," cautioned Windy. "Sometimes it is good, sometimes it can't be helped, but other times it's not necessary. It can lead to bad ends. Look at what happened to the inner planets.  
  
"And Jupiter," muttered Sage.  
  
"It's not certain what happened to Sailor Jupiter," said Cye. "Didn't Ryo say something about her not siding one way or the other?"  
  
"That is true," said Rowen. "We don't know."  
  
"And we may never," said Dais. "If Windy wiped clean their memories of the Moon Princess and their involvement with her, then Sailor Jupiter was relieved of her memories also."  
  
Windy listened to Dais' reasoning and didn't refute it. She knew that Lita was remembering through torment and grief of an old soul trying to put back right what she had messed up the first time.  
  
"So we fought and had to be put back together. When did Sage and I become friends?" asked Ryo.  
  
"You kept meeting in the practice room at the same time each day. You soon started to talk to each other outside of the room and learned that you had some similar interests. The Martian queen was impressed with how well you were getting along that she left you on the Moon with your sister. It took a while, but you two became inseparable. Some of the scrapes that the three of you got into were almost comical."  
  
"Three?" asked Sage.  
  
Windy nodded. "You didn't think that you left Serena alone with her guards all the time did you? She almost begged that you take her with you on some of your practices. She became quite good with a single sword."  
  
Serena looked surprised. "I can fight with a sword?"  
  
Windy glanced over to her and nodded. "Oh, yes. You and Haruka would duel it out in practice when you weren't practicing with your glaive. As I recall, your mother had a tantrum over you knowing how to fight."  
  
Luna looked scandalized. "Queen Serenity did not throw a tantrum."  
  
Windy snorted and Setsuna covered a smile. "Oh, boy did she. You can cover it up all you want, but that woman made Serena look calm. She was throwing things all over the room, screaming, and stomping her feet over the idea that the Outers, Sage, Ryo, and I were even contemplating teaching Serena how to fight."  
  
Setsuna joined in the memory. "She was using words I never thought she even knew. She didn't look very serene when she was having that 'discussion' with us."  
  
"So, who won?" asked Cye.  
  
Windy smirked. "We did."  
  
"You told her that you were going to teach Serena how to fight even if it was behind her back," remarked Setsuna.  
  
"I guess that we should see if you recall any of what you learned," said Ryo.  
  
"We will do that, Prince Ryo," said Haruka.  
  
"We can help," offered Cye. "Between Sage, Ryo, Kento, and I, we should be able to help her remember, too." Serena chuckled nervously and looked over to her brother.  
  
"You know, that would be a good idea," he said. "May be a couple of us working with her instead of all at once."  
  
"That sounds good to me," said Michiru before Haruka could turn it down. "We do need to learn how to work together."  
  
Seckmet decided to change the subject from their future practices to information of the past. "So how did we die in the past on Earth?"  
  
Windy had a sad far away look as she contemplated the question. "The company that you were with had moved as I had advised. Later that day, Beryl had taken the area that you were in. You had stopped at a city to gather supplies when the Dark Kingdom army caught up with you. Beryl knew that Prince Rowen was in there and demanded for him to be turned over to her and the city would be left alone. The new captain of the mercenary company consulted with the city council and decided to tell Beryl where to go. She was _furious_. She ordered the whole city sacked and any prisoners were to be added to her army's ranks. You defended Rowen and Ryo to the end, but when a monster killed Ryo and a stray arrow got Rowen, you basically went berserk." Windy had a grim half smile on her face when she said, "The lot of you cut a wide swath of her monsters before you were killed. Actually, Anubis, you were guarding their bodies when you were killed. It might have been a good thing that you were killed; any person that wasn't killed was 'converted' to her cause. I could smell the blood magic before Beryl even came to the Moon."  
  
"At least that time we were on the right side," muttered Cale.  
  
"I think that it was a close call," said Kayura. "If my dream said anything, that woman in the purple dress was starting her spell when we died."  
  
"You have no idea," said Artimas. "Beryl would have loved to have experienced fighters in her army. That may have been why she took the Generals."  
  
"So, why did Endymon come to the Moon to warn us?" asked Serena.  
  
"He didn't," said Windy. "I'm not quite sure, but I think that a friend or partner of mine might have had a hand in warning the Moon."  
  
"How?" asked Hotaru.  
  
"Well, I can alter appearances of anyone and if someone like me managed to get Rowen's soul before he went on, they could have altered him to look like Endymon and send him to the Moon. Even if you didn't recognize Rowen for who he was, Serena, your bond with him would have. When he approached you with his warning, you perked up from the depression you were in. It at least held you over until Beryl attacked."  
  
"So what happened?" asked Sage. "How did _we_ die?"  
  
"Well, Sailors Uranus and Neptune died trying to get to Serena to defend her. Sailor Saturn was still asleep and Sailor Pluto was at the Time Gates, actually I think you were stuck there because the Gates wouldn't open. Right?"  
  
"Yes," said Setsuna with disgust.  
  
"And the Inner Scouts?" asked Dais.  
  
"They were trying to get back to their home worlds, but were killed on the way to the portal room. Sailor Jupiter was with Prince Sage when they were killed." Windy looked at the Sun Prince. "She took an arrow for you, but she couldn't stop the sword stroke that killed you. She died saying that she failed."  
  
"And Serena?" asked Hotaru.  
  
"Serena was with Rowen when Beryl found them. Beryl thought that Rowen was Endymon and made her offer. When she was refused, well, she 'killed' Rowen and watched Serena kill herself."  
  
"I'm still wondering why Serena did that," grumped Luna.  
  
"Well, she lost her Life Bond once and then lost him again. No one was around to stop her from committing suicide that time and took advantage of it."  
  
"But why?" repeated Luna.  
  
Windy sighed. "When two people who are Life Bonds meet they are like to halves of a soul becoming one. If one is taken away, then the other will soon follow. I have seen one half of a Life Bond survive, but that was due to duty and another bond created with him. He still tried to kill himself before he finally bowed down to his duty, but he welcomed death when it came."  
  
"So if Serena or Rowen dies, we could lose the other one?" asked Anubis.  
  
Windy nodded grimly.  
  
"Well, that takes a lot off my mind," said Kento sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up, Kento," growled Rowen. Looks from the rest of the room toward the bearer of Hardrock echoed the sediment.  
  
  
Windy was in the kitchen washing the lunch dishes when Mia came in. "There's something that you didn't tell them at the discussion," she said.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It's about Sailor Jupiter, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
"Will you tell me what it is?"  
  
"Sage and Lita were in love in the Silver Millennium. The only problem was she was undecided about where her loyalties laid."  
  
"So when she said she failed she was talking about failing to save Sage?"  
  
"And making her decision."  
  
"There's more, isn't there?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Mia sighed. "But you aren't telling."  
  
"I can't. A decision has to be made and until I know what it is, I'm not going to start a fight over what might not be."  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing," sighed Mia.  
  
"I'm not the one who is ordering this. I just hope she will make the right decision."  
  
Mia started water on the stove and pulled two cups and the tea from the shelf. She finished the tea just as Windy put away the last dish. The two women sat down and enjoyed the quiet before the possible storm. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 7  
  
My name is a nickname given to me by one of my patients. My name is NOT Sunrise Inc. therefore I do NOT own Ronin Warriors. Also, my name in NOT Cloverwave, therefore I do NOT own Sailor Moon. To any blood-suckers (the lawyers, not lab techs) I don't have much money, but plenty of bills, so if you sued me you would have to wait in line for your payments.  
  
Warning: Windy shows her temper and there is more Bible talk.  
  
  
Windy grew quieter as the next two days passed and dropped the bombshell on the group on the second day. Several people close to Serena were ready to plant the spirit back into the earth again for even suggesting that she was going to bring back one of the traitors. Windy just ignored the whole lot and waited for midnight to come when the distance between dimensions was the closest. Her journey was easy, but the way back was harder. Anubis, Kayura, and Ryo were awake when the Windwalker and Lita returned to the Koji Mansion. Windy looked like she had been in a fight and Lita was dazed and confused from the experience of leaving her home for the last time. They saw the ghostly woman shake her head and they retired for the night. Again morning would bring answers to their questions.  
  
  
The next morning showed the two women deeply asleep on the living room couches. The morning sun shone brightly down on Windy and she groaned and turned over. Lita woke up to see a group of angry strangers and Outer Sailors glaring down at her. They had tried to glare at Windy as well, but she had cracked open one eye, looked at them, and pulled the blanket over her head. The Ronins tried to wake her up, but a knife at a sensitive area (Windy was tired and malicious, she went for south of the belt) convinced them to leave her alone.  
  
Lita gave them a weak smile and a small wave. Haruka frowned deeper and Serena looked at Lita with fear in her eyes. The fear washed the smile away from Lita's face and replaced it with sadness. Never once in the time Serena had known the Jovian Sailor had she ever been afraid of her. A blue haired boy wrapped his arms around Serena and comforted the small blond. A blond boy next to her scowled at Lita and walked away. Feelings Lita didn't know existed throbbed at the sight of his face before he left.  
  
"Since everyone is not leaving the room and had decided that I should get up at the ungodly hour of ten o'clock, I'm up. Happy?" came a sarcastic announcement from the blanketed woman.  
  
"Oh, yes. We are very happy," Haruka bit back just as sarcastically. "Now you can explain why a traitor is here."  
  
Sailor Uranus never feared death. She knew that she may die protecting her princess and kingdom, but once for one instant, she felt the fear of death. Windy looked at the Wind Sailor with a calm, cold look that came from beyond the grave. "Remember your mistakes as well, Princess of Uranus," a voice whispered in her head. The black look from the Windwalker confirmed that it was she who was speaking. "You have blood on your hands as well, and you have betrayed your princess for a small time. She forgave you, God forgave you, let them decide how to treat Sailor Jupiter."  
  
Windy stood stiffly and limped slightly out of the room. Lita quickly followed her to stay with a familiar presence since her old comrades shunned her. Cye and Kento followed them into the kitchen for two different reasons. Cye was going to see if he would have to cook and Kento wanted breakfast. When Windy pulled out two bowls and cereal for her and Lita, Cye heaved a great sigh and started on breakfast. May be it was a good thing that Windy wasn't cooking for them, he mused. She might put something in to make us sick for a while.  
  
"I wouldn't do that," said Windy quietly. She was staring at Cye with an angry and hurt look. "I do plenty of things, but I wouldn't harm a person out of spite. I only fight in defense."  
  
The two women put the dishes from their meager breakfast in the sink and left the house. Lita followed the Windwalker to the forest and out of sight of the people residing there. Mia turned to her tenants and frowned.  
  
"You know, we treated them both badly and for what? Because she believes in second chances? I know a few that had those given to them; why not Lita?"  
  
"Because she was suppose to be faithful to the Princess," said Setsuna.  
  
"And what about us?" asked Hotaru. "We left the Princess to fight Sailor Galaxia on our own. We didn't wait for her."  
  
"We left her to do things our own way," said Haruka quietly.  
  
Michiru looked startled. "But isn't that the way we were meant to?" she asked softly. "Weren't we supposed to do anything it took to gain our goals?"  
  
"May be not," said Ryo. "Why did you think that you had to do your mission that way?"  
  
"Because that was how Mother wanted us to remember," said Serena, her head down. "To bring the Inner Scouts closer to me and distance the Outers."  
  
"Why would Mother do that?" asked Sage bitterly.  
  
"To try to save a doomed kingdom," answered Artimas. Luna nodded her head in agreement.  
  
"And it looks like she wanted to erase a love that went beyond understanding," said Kayura.  
  
"It's a possibility," sighed Serena.  
  
  
Lita and Windy walked through the woods behind Mia's house. The ghost didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was going and Lita felt like she was getting lost. Their path had no rhyme or reason, just where the woman put her next step. Sometimes it seemed to Lita that the trees would bend down their branches to touch the pair before they passed.  
  
"Your name, Kino Makato, means "honesty of wood" doesn't it?" asked the woman in white.  
  
"Yes," said Lita uncertainly. "But no one has ever called me that in a long time."  
  
"Your parents did."  
  
"But they're dead."  
  
"What about your love?"  
  
Lita brought up her head from the bowed position she had lowered it to at the mention of her parents. "What love?"  
  
Windy kept walking through the forest. "The one you dream about, but forget in the morning light. The one you feel you failed when you died on the moon a thousand years ago."  
  
Lita was bewildered. She would remember any dreams, wouldn't she? Who did she fail? Serena? Serena couldn't be the love she was talking about. "What do you mean?"  
  
Windy stopped and looked over her shoulder with a small smile on her face. "You shall see in time. So will he. Come, we must get there in time. I hate to be late for anything." She started walking again and Lita ran to catch up with her.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"You shall see," was the response.  
  
  
Sage had come to the lake to meditate and think about what Windy had done. Why had she brought the false one back. At least the Inner Scouts had chosen a place and stand. Jupiter had sat on the fence, watching to see who would prove to be the strongest.  
  
"And what is this feeling that I keep having when She looks at me?" Sage muttered. The quiet Ronin of Halo was disturbed by the emotions that struck him whenever she looked at him.  
  
A rustle across the lake brought his attention to the here and now as he saw Windy gracefully leave the forest for the lake edge. Behind her Lita followed a little less gracefully. The tree that she had passed under seemed to reach down to touch the brown haired girl. Windy glanced back at the tree and it seemed to let go of the Jovian Scout. Windy continued on her way to the lake and Lita followed at a trot.  
  
Sage marveled at how the shorter of the two could out distance the Scout, but he was surprised when Windy didn't stop at the edge but continued on as if she were still walking on solid earth. Lita paused at the edge and shook her head. Sage could see the protest on her lips, but Windy would have nothing of it. She held out her hand to the tall girl and led her onto the water. Windy whistled to the four winds and a white light blinded Sage. When he could see again, they were gone.  
  
"Sage, what's wrong?" asked Serena.  
  
Sage jumped. He didn't hear his sister even come near him. He shook his head. "Nothing, Serena. I just thought that I saw something that I couldn't have." He continued to stare out at the lake.  
  
"Windy can do many things. If she had anything to do with what you think you saw, then you did."  
  
Sage turned to his twin. "So I did see her walk on water?"  
  
Serena giggled. "May be. I don't know. She did tell me once of a man who did though. She said it was before our time in our first life."  
  
"I bet Luna said that it couldn't have happened," said Sage thoughtfully.  
  
Serena beamed. "You're remembering!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You remembered how Luna was," clarified Serena. "Actually, that is exactly what she said. Windy looked down at her and said that if there can be talking cats, ghosts that come back to help others, then a man who can defeat death can certainly walk on water."  
  
"I bet Luna was miffed," laughed Sage.  
  
His twin laughed with him. "Yeah, she was. I guess that the religion that Windy follows is stranger then anything that any one of us could even dream."  
  
"I think they call themselves Christians."  
  
Serena nodded. "Yeah, I think that's what she is; although she said that she was a 'Lutheran', too. Whatever that means."  
  
"I think that it's a branch of Christians, like Catholics or Baptists," shrugged Sage. "May be we should ask her later."  
  
"If she will speak with us."  
  
"She talked with Cye."  
  
"Only because she heard what he thought. I was going to go in when I heard her talk with him. She looked hurt. I think we hurt her when we treated her like we did."  
  
"But she hurt us when she brought back a traitor without telling us. She just dropped the subject in our laps and then went to get a traitor."  
  
The twins walked back to the house to see what they would do for the day. Sage thought that may be they should practice and see what Serena remembered.  
  
  
The group was just coming back from their practice when they heard an unearthly, but sad song being sung. They reached the back porch of Mia's house and saw Windy sitting in a swing holding Lita's head in her lap. Lita was asleep, but tear tracks were fresh on her face. The song was being sung by Windy. No one knew the words, but they could feel the sadness and longing in the tone. As the song ended, Windy looked up at the new Moon Court then looked away.  
  
"Why did you do that?" asked Anubis.  
  
"Do what? Bring Lita here, bring her into the forest, or look away from you?" asked the Windwalker.  
  
"Any of them," said Ryo.  
  
"Lita had to make a final decision that she didn't make on the Moon. I brought her into the forest to meet with someone. As for looking away from you, why should I look at you? You feel betrayed by what I did under orders and I am hurt that you have so little faith in me and my God."  
  
"Why should we have faith in you or your God?" asked Seckmet.  
  
Windy looked at him sharply. "I don't blame you for having no faith in me. I am but a ghost of a mortal girl. You should have faith in my God because He knows what is, was, and will be. He knows why something should be done and gives us the free will to do what we deem is necessary. You, Seckmet, have free will and look what you did with it; yet He forgave all of you when you first were lost to Tulpa. Don't smile too wide, Haruka, you and the other Outers have done the same thing on occasion yourselves. Yet you are forgiven as well."  
  
"Who did Lita see?" asked Cye, trying to defuse a potential war in the house.  
  
Windy looked down. "That is between Lita and whomever she saw. She had to understand a few things and I just brought her to where they were to meet."  
  
"So you don't know everything either," said Sage quietly.  
  
"I never said I did," Windy said just as quietly. She closed her eyes and a tear slipped down her face. "Do you know how tired I am? Yet I stay here to help people like you." She opened her sad eyes. "I would really like to go home to my rest. I have the choice, but I also see the need. Don't throw away something because you are angry." Windy stroked the sleeping Lita's head. "I am sorry," she said quietly. "For being angry with you when you had a good right to be upset. I had dropped someone into your lives, but you shouldn't judge things too quickly yet. Jesus said not to judge lest you be judged, but it also is said that our actions judge us. We should all consider our actions. She sighed. "All of us."   
  
Windy closed her eyes and slipped into a light sleep. Those who could read her saw the sadness, but also the worry. What hadn't she told them, but knew about. Anubis, Kayura, and Ryo figured that it had something to do with when she had first arrived with Lita the evening before.   
  
Ryo sighed to himself. They would have to fight again.  
  
  
Author Notes: In another story I was told that Windy glared like Heero in Gundam Wing. The funny thing was I had never watched the program before I wrote that. This story shows that Windy has a temper, but she can admit to being in the wrong. Man, I wish that I could get her more perfect, but then everyone would say that she was too Mary Sue. By the way, I'm Lutheran and the beliefs that are spoken in this story are what I was brought up on. Again, I am sorry if I offend anyone who doesn't like hearing what I believe, but I also point you back to chapter 2's Author Note.  
Comments are nice and flames are considered then ignored unless they have a valid point. Thanks again.  
Rocky 


	8. Chapter Eight

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 8  
  
Disclaimer: No Wee Folk can give me the Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. Darn, I guess I still have to work at the hospital. (The morning comes too early for me. I hate my alarm clock.)  
  
  
Rowen had noticed how quiet Windy had become over the two days and then dropped her news like a bomb. He watched as she left the house to disappear between one step and the next, but didn't stay with Ryo, Anubis, or Lady Kayura to wait for her. He saw the weariness in Windy and the stranger that came with her. The next morning he could feel the pain from Serena as she looked at the person who had betrayed her in her old home. What he didn't tell anyone was he was remembering the past and what he saw with his love.  
  
Rowen sighed and walked out to the porch again. They had left Windy to her light sleep, but Anubis had carried Sailor Jupiter, Princess Lita, in to lie on his bed. Rowen's lips twitched at the thought of Anubis liking the girl. From the looks that Sage and Lita were giving each other when no one was looking, Rowen thought it was a hopeless cause for the bearer of Spring. Windy wasn't asleep when he walked onto the porch; she was watching the sun set off to the west.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" came the quiet question.  
  
"What?" asked Rowen.  
  
"You have a lot on your mind. I can feel your confusion and some of your thoughts are quite loud," said Windy.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Windy sighed. "You are remembering the past, aren't you?" At Rowen's silence she continued. "You are remembering your times with Serena and some of what was going on at the Moon Court." Windy barked a short laugh. "Your father taught you well in his company. You watched for any danger and filed away anything that might be of use later. You saw how Sailor Jupiter would shadow the Moon Princess with a puzzled look on her face."  
  
Rowen sat down and looked at the Windwalker. "Yeah. I remember how she would stay silent when the others were talking about how stupid Serena was. She would move off a few minutes later when Serena would leave to be alone. Sometimes Sage would join Serena and Princess Lita would get pale then red. She always stayed quiet whenever he was around."  
  
"She spoke once when he was looking at her. She stuttered the answer to his question then ran away in embarrassment. She wouldn't go near the Prince for a long time."  
  
"I remember that," came another voice. Sage walked out the back door and joined the two. "I wondered why she was so pale when she spoke to me."  
  
"What do the two of you feel now?" asked Windy.  
  
The three sat in silence as twilight dropped on the house and the other residents of the house poked their heads out to see what they were doing. Finally Rowen answered the question Windy had asked. "I feel angry, but sad. I'm angry that she couldn't have made up her mind before she realized the good thing she had. She gave it up, expecting it to come back like a dog begging for love. When Princess Lita realized that Serena wasn't coming back, she felt the emptiness that I felt when I didn't have her. May be not the same emptiness, but something close to it; Serena is my life."  
  
Windy smiled and nodded for him to go on.  
  
"I feel sorry for her though. She didn't have anyone before Serena came into her life except her parents."  
  
"Her parents are dead," said Windy. "She has been an orphan for a while; even before meeting Serena."  
  
"Oh." Rowen looked sorrier then before. "I didn't know that."  
  
"Don't be extra nice to her. How would you feel if someone pitied you for not having a nuclear family like the average person?"  
  
"Is it so average?" asked Sage. "How many people have one mother, one father, and 1.5 siblings?"  
  
Windy smiled at the joke. "I had one brother. I think I would have been the half; I was the shortest one in the family."  
  
"I get the picture," said Rowen. "No extra being nice to her, no special treatment, just be myself and see what happens."  
  
"Good. I wouldn't want to explain why you were coming into the hospital with half healed bruises and contusions. Mia and I might be facing an inquiry about what goes on in this house."  
  
Rowen looked at his friend. "What about you, Sage? What do you feel about Princess Lita?"  
  
Sage frowned. "I don't know what I feel about Makato."  
  
"Makato?"  
  
Sage looked at Rowen startled. "What?"  
  
"You said 'Makato'. Who is Makato?"  
  
"That would be Lita," supplied Windy.  
  
"Where did Makato come from then?" asked Rowen.  
  
"It was her first name," said Sage absently. "She didn't like it and used her middle name. She thought it sounded more feminine."  
  
"I thought you didn't hear anything," said Lita quietly.  
  
Sage jumped up startled. "When did you get here?" he asked harshly.  
  
"In time to hear you say my first name. I didn't know you knew or even remembered."  
  
"It doesn't matter. If you will excuse me, I want to get some sleep, we have early training tomorrow."  
  
"But it's only-" started Rowen.  
  
"Eight-thirty," supplied Windy. "Leave him be, Rowen. He has to get through this by himself."  
  
"So, Halo is human," Cale said as he joined the two on the porch. "I saw him leave as I was coming out. He looked awful mad."  
  
"He was reminded of something that he has to figure out himself," said Windy. "What brings you out here, anyway?"  
  
"Well, Anubis was talking to Lady Kayura and Ryo about what he got from Lita. She told us about the three days that she spent knowing that she had betrayed Serena. Hotaru and Haruka listened to her story; Hotaru seemed to accept her remorse, but Haruka didn't say anything."  
  
"It will take a while for Princess Haruka to accept me again," said Lita. "She has every right to be angry with me. But the Princess has even more reason." She smiled grimly. "Michiru and Setsuna haven't even come close to me yet and the other people here have avoided me. May be I should just leave."  
  
"You're welcome to come with us to the Nether Realm if you want," offered Cale. "It's not much, but you're welcome to it."  
  
Lita looked at the blue haired man. "Thanks for inviting me. May be I'll take you up on that offer."  
  
Windy smiled at the exchange. Lita had found someone to relate to; that was good. Now if only she could convince Sage that he should fight to keep her here. Speaking of pairs. "Rowen, shouldn't you go see what Serena is doing? She seems awful quiet in the house."  
  
Rowen gave a yelp of panic and rushed into the quiet house. He found his lifebond asleep on the couch next to Ryo and Mia. The two of them were watching an old black and white movie. He nodded to the oblivious pair and picked up the blond girl to take her to her bed. When he laid her down on the bed she woke a little.  
  
"What were you talking to the Windwalker about out there?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"About our feelings on the matter of Windy bringing Princess Lita here."  
  
"Oh." Serena yawned and drifted off to sleep again. "In a way I'm glad, but I'm also scared. What if she does it again?" The last part came as a whisper as sleep pulled the Moon Princess down to slumber again.  
  
"Then, you will forgive her again," whispered Rowen as he left the room. Michiru and Haruka entered as he left. They both bowed to him then shut the door. Rowen shook his head; he couldn't get over someone bowing to him. It made him feel strange. "I guess that's why Angel hates it when someone calls her princess. I'll have to remember to ask her in the morning if I don't get killed by her Scouts." Rowen quietly entered his room and got into bed to read for a while.   
  
Sage was awake when he started and was still awake when Rowen went to sleep at two in the morning. When he slipped into a restless sleep, Lita was still on his mind.  
  
  
"Do you know where the Queen, my mother is?" asked Prince Sage.  
  
Princess Lita looked up at the blonde prince and paled before blushing a deep red. "S-s-s-she t-t-t-t-o-ok the P-princess t-t-to s-s-s-see her other Guardians. T-t-t-the Queen s-s-s-said that s-s-she was sp-spending too m-m-much time w-with t-the Outers."  
  
Prince Sage frowned. "Do you know where they went?"  
  
"T-t-t-the C-c-council Room," stuttered out Princess Lita.  
  
Sage was about to ask another question when the princess of Jupiter curtsied and ran off. Sage sighed and started toward the Council chambers. He could feel his sister getting angry with the Inner Scouts and with their mother.  
  
  
Sage woke up with a gasp and slowly closed his eyes again. That was a short memory, but it had Makato. He wasn't quite sure of how he was feeling about the Jovian Scout, but when he heard the offer made by his counterpart for Makato to stay in the Nether Realm with them, he almost charged back out to tell him no.  
  
Sage shook his head. What right did he have telling Lita what she should and shouldn't do? She wasn't his.  
  
But you wish she was, don't you? asked a small voice.  
  
Sage willed the voice to be quiet, but it had added to the confusion that he was feeling over the new addition to the household.  
  
Morning came too early for the Ronin of Light and Prince of the Sun. He dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom for a shower. He hoped that it would help him wake up enough to get him through practice that morning.  
  
  
"Okay, Hotaru, let's see if Serena can remember what we taught her," called Windy as she watched the two face off.  
  
The two combatants bowed and tapped their staffs together before backing away a couple of steps. Each dropped into a defensive stance, but Serena's was more sloppy then Hotaru's.  
  
"Princess, you must clean up the stance. Your left leg is out too far and your hold on the staff is too light," instructed Hotaru.  
  
Serena tried to do as her Scout of Saturn instructed, but she still had the stance wrong.  
  
"Here, like this," said Windy as she moved the offending body parts into the correct position. "Now tighten up the grip. Good. I think she's ready, Hotaru."  
  
The smaller girl nodded and came at her princess in a slow manner. Serena fell into the movements that blocked the other's staff a little more easily, but she was still scored upon.  
  
"This is harder then it looks," panted Serena.  
  
"Anything worth doing will be tough, love," said Rowen as he stopped next to Windy to watch his lifebond. "But from the looks of things, you're doing well."  
  
"I think so as well. What do you think, Hotaru?" asked Windy.  
  
"She is doing well. But Princess, you need to work on it more. You still have some sloppy moves and must learn to fight faster."  
  
The two ended their practice with another bow and a tap with the staffs. Serena walked over to her lifebond and gave him a quick hug. Hotaru went over to Setsuna to see what her adopted mother had to say. Windy started to warm up and stretch her muscles then started on sword moves that she learned from a mercenary friend in another dimension. She started out with just her body then pulled her sword out of what seemed an invisible sheath as she sped up. A few of the resting warriors watched the woman quietly practice then turned back to another partner to spar with when Windy started to cool down.  
  
When she was done with the strange sword movements, Sage walked over. "Want to practice?" he asked.  
  
Windy looked him up and down before nodding her head. "What brings you over here? Last time I saw you, you were still upset with me bringing Lita here. Last night you stormed out when we started asking you about your feelings toward her."  
  
"I had a dream last night about when we first spoke to each other," admitted Sage as he parried a sword thrust from Windy.  
  
"Do tell," said Windy as she retreated before Sage's onslaught of movement.  
  
"It wasn't much, but looked like she was anxious around me. She stuttered a lot and left quickly before I could ask her another question." Sage gave up some of the ground he won from his opponent.  
  
"Ahh. I remember the aftermath of that. Lita wouldn't go anywhere near you or Serena if you were with her. She stayed with the Inners for a while before getting tire of their complaining." Windy pushed forward again in hope of breaking through Sage's defense. "She started following you and the Princess after a week of listening to Raye bellyache." Her attempt had failed and she had to retreat a step.  
  
"I don't remember that much. I do remember her catching the arrow that would have killed me." Sage tried to keep the upper hand from Windy's failed attempt. "She looked at me with sadness in her eyes, then it was horror as I was killed by the sword that Dark Kingdom minion had." Sage found that he couldn't follow up against the woman and each had fought each other to a stand still.  
  
"Shall we call it a draw?" panted the ghost.  
  
Sage nodded his head. "That was a good practice."  
  
"And a good conversation," said Windy mysteriously.  
  
Sage wondered what she meant, but pushed it off as something less than important. He wanted to rest before trying to fight with Ryo next. 


	9. Chapter Nine

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 9  
  
Disclaimer: To cover myself from any legal actions I am not claiming the Ronin Warriors or the Sailor Scouts. I hope that the rumor I heard was just a prank that was spread from April 1.  
  
  
Windy was checking her sword for nicks when Lady Kayura approached her with a frown on her face. Windy sheathed her sword with satisfaction that it wasn't damaged in the practice and turned to the new Ancient. The troubled look on the younger woman's face didn't bode well for the Windwalker.  
  
"Windy, can you go anywhere?"  
  
Windy nodded. "Yes, why?"  
  
"Could you go into the Netherworld?"  
  
Windy nodded again.  
  
"I can't get in. Yesterday the gates were open and any one of the Seasonals and I could return if need be, but today the gates are shut and locked. None of us can get in."  
  
"I'll give it a look, but I think that we have trouble starting to make its move," said the ghost.  
  
"What kind of trouble?" asked Ryo as he walked up.  
  
"The kind that doesn't know when to give up and wait for Judgment," answered Windy.  
  
"Is that why I've been seeing something black in the heart of the fire lately?"  
  
"You've been sensing it too?" asked Lady Kayura. Ryo nodded.  
  
"This is not good. How long have you been seeing it?"  
  
"Since you brought Lita here."  
  
Windy looked grim. "Bring the others back to the house, including Mia and White Blaze. If you have to, tell that walking rug that _I_ said so. I think that when I go look into the Netherworld, I might be finding a couple of familiar faces."  
  
Lady Kayura and Ryo took off to find their friends and Windy roped the Lifebonded pair and their current watchers Sailor Uranus and Dais. The four were climbing the stairs when something flashed by Serena's cheek and drew a line of blood. Haruka was on the ground and Windy had a knife out and looking in the distance while Dais hustled Rowen and Serena into the house. When Ryo's and Lady Kayura's groups approached the house Haruka hustled them in with no answers to their questions. When everyone was inside, Windy motioned for Haruka to come up. She was on the last step when she looked at something oddly familiar, but different embedded into the post of the porch.  
  
It was a black rose.  
  
An iridescent black rose.  
  
Haruka swore.  
  
Windy looked over at the blonde woman and saw what she was swearing at. Mia's house almost was painted blue.  
  
Both women went in with the calling card and found the Moon Court in the kitchen. Windy threw the rose in the middle of the table and a few more oaths were added to the list Haruka and Windy started.  
  
"That was evil Prince Endymion's rose," said Lita quietly.  
  
"There's more to it," added Hotaru. "There is more power then when we last fought together."  
  
"Chaos is back." Windy looked grim.  
  
Six Sailors shot their heads up and Serena paled. She couldn't do it. She couldn't fight Chaos again, not after last time.  
  
"You aren't alone this time," whispered Rowen.  
  
"This time we're going to help you," said Sage.  
  
"But I lost everyone the last time. It will happen this time too," wailed Serena in her arms.  
  
"No, princess, it won't," said Anubis. "We will be helping you and I don't think that the Lady Windwalker will be letting anything like this harm the Earth.  
  
"Got that right," muttered Windy darkly.  
  
"So we know who our enemy is," said Kento. "When do we fight?"  
  
"When we know all our enemies," said Cye. "I heard Lady Kayura say that she couldn't get into the Netherworld. Someone has to be there to have closed the gates."  
  
"Why do I have this cold feeling now?" joked Ryo.  
  
"Because I think that an enemy of yours is also being helped by Chaos," said Michiru.  
  
The nine armor bearers paled. "Who?" croaked Cale.  
  
The teal haired Sailor shook her head. "I don't know. I only saw a shadow of three in my mirror. It didn't tell me anything else."  
  
Windy looked at the armor bearers. "Where is Yulie?"  
  
"With his parents," said Ryo automatically.  
  
"Good. Sam, I'm afraid that I may have to dump you with him. Mia I know can take care of herself." Windy paused to glare at the snickering warriors from both dimensions. "But so far you haven't showed anything that may help. One day you may, but again, you may not. It depends on what is planned for you. Give it time. But when I tell you to run, you better. I don't want to explain to the Almighty why you were killed under my care."  
  
Sam nodded then looked mischievous. "Gets grumpy?"  
  
Windy looked at the small boy. "Let's just say that I would be in a world of hurt. He doesn't like it when we have loose ends that are to be left loose due to a mistake on our part."  
  
"But if you tell him to run, how will he find this Yulie?" asked Serena.  
  
"Someone will show him," smiled Windy. "I dare say that he, she, or they will protect the family until it's safe to return."  
  
"Now that is taken care of, when will you be going to the Netherworld?" asked Lady Kayura.  
  
"In the evening. It will be easier for me to hide in the shadows then. Oh, don't give me that look, Cale. I am perfectly able to hide anywhere I need and sneak into anyplace."  
  
"And I suppose you are a lock-pick?" asked Rowen.  
  
Windy looked over at him with wide eyes. "Why, yes. I can do that too. Helps when you lock your keys in the house." A couple of chuckles greeted that statement. Tension was brought down for a little while.  
  
  
Lady Kayura was mad. She was going to show the Windwalker to the gates, but Windy had forbidden her to enter the gates to the Netherworld. Windy was going to open the gates, but only three were going to enter. She didn't understand why Windy had chose those two, but the three older Sailors didn't take the decision very well. In fact Haruka and Lita were actually working together to persuade Windy to not take Hotaru with her and Cale. Windy gave them a look.  
  
How does she do that? wondered Lady Kayura. She almost looks like White Blaze with those looks, but even he bows before her.  
  
"That's because he realizes what needs to be done. Even Princess Serenity knows. Thank you for your help Lady Kayura, we will continue from here," said Windy.  
  
"Reading my mind?" asked Lady Kayura.  
  
"No. Your thoughts were very clear and loud."  
  
"So, when do we cross?" asked Cale.  
  
"When I have the gates cracked open," responded Windy. "Hotaru, could you please make sure that no one comes in behind us?"  
  
The young Sailor nodded her head and watched their backs as Windy turned her focus on the locked gates to the Netherworld. NO one knew what to expect, but having Windy placing a hand on the door and letting a faint glow start up to the top of the door wasn't what Lady Kayura expected. But as unorthodox as it seemed, what Windy had done did the trick. One of the doors creaked open and Windy called the young Sailor to her side.  
  
"I will go first. Cale and you are to be my messengers if something happens." Windy touched the armor of Winter and the Silence Glaive of the Sailor of Death and Rebirth. Once more a slight glow was emitted from the woman and a slight smile graced the short woman's lips. "If I can't get out then you will. You have to tell the others what we will see."  
  
Cale wanted to argue. Sailor Saturn looked grim. Windy sighed and figured that it was part of her training as a guard in the Outer Planets. The Outers will have to unlearn what the Queen had given them. May be with the nine armor bearers will help them realize that not all sacrifices have to be made. One didn't have to be sacrificed to stop everything evil. A smile flickered on Windy's lips. After all, she thought, the ultimate sacrifice has already been made.  
  
All had a weapon close at hand as the three entered the hostile Nether Realm. The landscape was gray and dreary. Windy wrinkled her nose as the familiar looks of a gray winter only with more water and less snow. Anyone who lived here probably would die of depression, she thought.  
  
"Nice place," said Sailor Saturn. "Reminds me of home."  
  
"It was nicer," defended Cale. "Lady Kayura had the Realm looking pleasant and the sun actually shined. I want to know who ruined everything that we worked for."  
  
"I think that we are going to find out," said Windy. She pointed ahead to the palace in the distance. So far she didn't see any hostile parties coming out to greet them, but she didn't want to take chances. "Let's get going. I don't want to announce that we're here."  
  
The group of three moved quickly and in the dark shadows. Windy had given them dark cloaks to cover the reflective clothing and to hide her own obvious reaction to the evil. Soldiers passed by them while they waited in dark crevasses and allies. Windy snuck her companions further and further into the city and the palace. When they had entered the palace of Tulpa, Cale took over guiding them. He led them to the throne room to see if the new rulers had taken that room over like they did the rest of the Realm. Windy put a hand on her two companions and lead them through a wall to a dark corner. Sailor Saturn quietly raised a wall between them and the rest of the room and Windy promptly hid the evidence of them being in the room. They sat back and waited for their adversaries to appear. They didn't have to wait very long.  
  
"You may have given away who is attacking them, Prince," said a nasal voice. Cale jerked at his recognition of the voice.  
  
"They only know of the rose, not anything else. For all they know it is just Tuxedo Mask getting revenge for the loss of his memory and permanent future," said an angry second voice.  
  
"But the witch in white is not stupid and very crafty. Look how she was able to hide the Princes of Mars and the Sun as well as your half brother. She did it twice and you couldn't stop her."  
  
"The Witch Queen of the Moon hid those three when she used the Silver Crystal. I would have known if she hadn't changed our memories to keep me with my prize. Now that Chaos has returned all my memories, I will get my prize and the death of the Moon Court."  
  
"I wouldn't underestimate the powers of the Moon Court. The Princes hold the powers of mystical armors and the Prince of Mars has the armor of Inferno. From what you have told me of the Outer Sailors, they are not without large amounts of power themselves. Between the power of the Princess and her Court and the mystical armors, we will have a long struggle ahead of us."  
  
"Have no worry of our enemies power," came a whispery voice. "I will take care of them. I have touched one of their number and I will use her to get to the others."  
  
"Who is it?" asked the dark Prince.  
  
"The one who left your dimension after the others."  
  
"Didn't you have trouble trying to get her?" asked the nasal voice.  
  
"The living dead one fought me," growled the whispery voice. "She follows the One who destroyed my Chaos. He stands behind her and she will be difficult to defeat."  
  
"May be instead of us defeating her, we should let the ones she watches defeat her. Dissension in the ranks works wonders," smirked the dark Prince. "May be you can do something in that light Badamon?"  
  
"I can see what my arts can do, Prince, but you must remember to have patience with me. Master Tulpa didn't and he lost against the Ronins."  
  
Windy turned to her two companions and whispered, "I think that we heard enough. We should probably leave while the going is good."  
  
Cale and Sailor Saturn nodded grimly and followed the ghost back through the walls. "Do you think that we should sneak out or just run out?" asked Cale.  
  
"Let's try sneaking, but if we're seen, forget fighting, just run. Only fight to get away, this information is too important for us to get captured," said Windy.  
  
Back through the halls Cale lead them, but by an off chance a group of soldiers cam around the corner just as they were.  
  
"Silence Wall!"  
  
While Sailor Saturn held the soldiers at bay Windy called a fierce wind and blew dust taken from a pouch on her belt. The soldiers fell where they stood and the wall was taken down. Cale lead the other two through the halls and the maze. Windy looked back to see more soldiers following them. "We have to go a little faster."  
  
Cale glanced back and grabbed Sailor Saturn. "Pardon me, but we have to move."  
  
Windy put more speed in her stride and came abreast of Cale. They saw the gate up ahead and windy prepared to open the gate once again. The door opened a crack and Cale and Windy sped through. Windy turned on a dime and slammed the door shut. She stood at the door making sure that no one could open it after them, while Cale let Saturn down and they ran for the house. Both wondered if they would find relieved friends or hostile comrades.  
  
  
Took me long enough didn't it? I'll try to get the next one out sooner. Have a happy Mother's Day and good luck to all students on their finals. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 10  
  
Disclaimer: I have enough trouble without trying to claim Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors. You try taking care of a seventeen-year-old grandma of a cat. She expects too much.  
  
Cale and Saturn found it too quiet when they returned to Mia's house. They found Mia and Lita in the kitchen drinking tea and Cye was just entering to start dinner. They had a startled look on their face when the two armed individuals ran through the door and practically slammed it shut like all the hoards of Hell were after them.  
"Where's Windy?" asked Mia.  
"Making sure we weren't followed," grunted Cale.  
"We were found out before we got out. Windy had to make sure the Gate was closed tight," Saturn explained further. She slumped down in a chair and let her power fade back to just plain Hotaru.  
Cale followed suit and allowed his armor to return to where it rested while it waited for him to call it again. "We were right about Prince Endymion. He was being helped by Chaos. And guess what..."  
"What?" asked another voice from the door. Ryo entered the rest of the way and joined the group in the kitchen. "I heard the door slam, but some didn't feel like seeing what it was. Please, continue."  
Cale sighed and glanced at Hotaru. Was it happening already?  
"Badamon was in on the plans."  
"Badamon?" asked Cye. "I thought that Ryo destroyed him."  
"So did I," added Ryo.  
"Chaos can do what it pleases because it feels it doesn't have to follow the rules," came a whispery voice. Windy stepped through the pantry door and smiled at the group. "My apologies for the strange entrance, but I needed a door and that was handy."  
"So, why did you say that Chaos feels that it doesn't need to follow any rules," asked Mia.  
"Because it was angered when Order was Commanded to be by the Creator. It liked the nothingness that was and the darkness that hung over everything. Having order is the total opposite of chaos. That is why it tried so hard to take all the Star Seeds from the Sailor Soldiers."  
"So, if Chaos has returned, then why is it helping Prince Endymion and this Badamon character?" asked Lita.  
Windy shrugged. "A means to an end most likely. Use persons with enough hate that they are blinded by the truth and you can lead them anywhere. They will not see what we say; they will only see what they want. Chaos tried to do this in the Silver Millennium, but it was stopped by the early attack by Beryl. That set everything back and it had to wait for another opportunity. While Chaos waited, it took the rest of the Star Seeds and commanded its slave to retrieve the ones from the Sol system for last. She conviently forgot about it until the Starlights came to Earth looking for their Princess. Then you had the trouble."  
"So all the betrayal and hurt was all due to Chaos wanting to return the Universe to its original state?" asked Hotaru.  
"In a way," said Windy. "I don't know the whole story, just what I've been told."  
"Great. Some entity wants to return everything to nothingness and we have to deal with two _old_ enemies trying to conquer the Mortal Realm. What more can go wrong?" asked Ryo sarcastically.  
"How about said enemies creating dissention in the house due to Lita being here?" asked Cale.  
"That tops it, I would say," said Cye.  
"I guess I shouldn't have come then," whispered Lita.  
"But you are here," argued Mia. "And I like having someone to talk to that is my own gender and not interested in otherworldly stuff. Cye and I can use a hand in the kitchen and you make a better conversationalist then the Outer Sailors due to their "duties", Serena because of her and Rowen being attached at the hands, and Kayura because she's in a funk right now. You are down to earth and easy to talk to; I like having you around."  
Windy looked comically hurt. "I'm hurt; you cut me to the quick on how you don't even classify me as being a woman."  
Hotaru giggled, "That's because you sometimes act more like a man to bully the guys around." This brought a laugh from the rest of the group, including windy.  
"Well, I guess if you say so." A wicked grin crossed her face. "But do you know how much fun it is to have PMS around these boys? Mighty armor bearers and they shake in their boots when I have a black look on my face."  
"That's because we value our lives," joked Cye. "We don't want to end up not being human anymore." More laughter erupted from his sally and disturbed a few of the silent dreamers in the rest of the house. The others were battling feelings of doubt and anger.  
  
Serena and Rowen stirred from their sleep. "I wonder what was so funny?" muttered Serena.  
"Probably something Kento said," answered Rowen with a yawn. They raised from the couch they had been sleeping on and started to the kitchen to see what was so funny. On their way, they found that Kento wasn't in the kitchen and that he, Dais, Seckmet, and Haruka were talking about Lita being here.  
"She may cause trouble. I don't know if she should be here," said Dais.  
"May be we should give her a chance, but keep her under watch," offered Kento.  
"That may be the only way. Windy does watch her, but even she has other things to do," added Haruka.  
"May be we should give Lita a chance," said Rowen. "We don't know if she even is trouble."  
"And what we don't know can hurt us, Strata," hissed Seckmet.  
"Then don't do anything around Windy," advised Serena. "She may take an exception to how you are dealing with Lita."  
"Or Cale for that matter," muttered Rowen as they left. Serena looked at him questioningly and he explained what he had seen the other night.  
Serena smiled. "So my brother gets to work for something now," she giggled. "This should be good." The two laughed as they entered the kitchen and joined the little group that had moved on from distressing matters to something more lighthearted.  
  
Michiru and Setsuna were reading in Mia's library when Sage stepped in. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," he apologized.  
Michiru looked up from her book and smiled. Setsuna glanced over from the computer screen and said, "You weren't disturbing us. Please come in Prince."  
"I hate it when you call me that," Sage said as he joined the two Sailors.  
"You are just like the Princess," said Michiru. "She tells us not to call her Princess or to bow to her. Rowen has even started doing the same thing when we greet him."  
"Well, we do have a point. We are people just like you; we were just accidentally born to higher rank parents. Windy doesn't even look at that, she just treats you like a person."  
Michiru looked down at her book. "Yes she doesn't care about who you are. Setsuna, do you remember when she would yell at us for what we were doing to the princess? But in the end she would work with us to keep balance."  
"Just like she's doing with Lita," added Setsuna. "We should probably follow her example and try to give Lita another chance. Look what she has done for us."  
"Finally, some common sense other then a ghost's," came a tart reply from the top of the bookcase. Luna and Artimas poked their heads over the side of the bookcase and greeted their prince. Then they looked at the two Outer Sailors with a meaningful look.  
"Hotaru at least is trying to get to know Lita again," said Artimas. "May be you should talk some others into waiting on the judgment and see what she will do."  
"And who would that be?" asked Sage.  
"Your friend Kento," started Luna. "And Haruka."  
"Don't forget that one eyed man in purple and the one with the green hair," added the white cat.  
"May be they are trying to protect us," offered Michiru.  
Luna gave a cat's shrug. "What ever you think. But Windy is trying to keep Lita together at night when she cries herself to sleep. It doesn't help that Lita is also has a crush that don't acknowledge she is even alive."  
"Who?" scoffed Sage. "Cale?"  
Setsuna shared a look with the cats and smiled slightly. "No, I think it's someone else, but she may go with Cale with little persuasion."  
Michiru stood up. "I think that Windy, Cale, and Hotaru are back, I can hear laughing in the kitchen. May be we should see what they found out."  
Luna jumped from her perch. "That may be a good idea. I'll go get Lady Kayura and Anubis."  
"We can get the others on our way to the kitchen," offered Michiru. Artimas joined his partner to find the last of the Ancient's clan while the royals of the Silver Millennium went to gather the rest of the house for a meeting on what was found out on the trip to the Nether Realm. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 11  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors, I would have air conditioning and a bigger room. Since I don't have said air conditioner or the room, I really DON'T own said animes. Now I have to deal with the humidity like I did last year. *Looks around* Hey! Where did my fan go?!  
  
Anubis watched his successor as she tried to meditate. At first she would go into her trance, but a dark look would cross her face and she would come back out with an oath. After the fifth time, Anubis finally stopped the last Ancient. "What's troubling you, Kayura?"  
  
"Nothing," denied the girl. She tried one more time and promptly failed. This last attempt angered her so that she swore enough to make a marine proud.  
  
"Want to try that answer again?" asked Anubis evenly.  
  
"I don't know why Windy didn't trust me to go with her into the Nether Realm. I am just as good as Cale is and I would have been more helpful than that little girl," Kayura snarled out.  
  
"Have you seen that 'little girl' fight?" asked Anubis. At Kayura's negative headshake he continued. "She is deadly with her chosen weapon. I had a talk with her fellow guardians one evening and they told me of her power. Did you know that in the Silver Millennium she was put to sleep to keep her power from being used? The queen of the Silver Millennium feared her. Serena didn't know her until this incarnation. That 'little girl' has enough power to destroy the armor of Inferno and the rest of the world. Only her sense of duty keeps her from using that power."  
  
"So, I should give her a chance; is that what you're saying?" asked Kayura with a sigh.  
  
Anubis nodded. "That would help."  
  
The young Ancient flung her hands up in the air. "Fine," she breathed heavily. "I'll give her a chance and trust Lady Windy's judgment a little more. Happy?"  
  
"A little, but I can work with it," answered Anubis just as a chuckle came from the door.  
  
"I don't think that the Windwalker would appreciate being called 'Lady'," said one voice close to the floor. The two Ancients turned to see Luna and Artimas standing in the door, laughing quietly.  
  
"I think I agree with you," said Anubis. "She seems to be the type that would punch you in the face for calling her 'Lady'."  
  
Luna shook her head. "No, just give you a scathing look. I remember one courtier calling her Lady and he soon ran for the door while she stared at his back. He later told the queen that Windy was a menace and should be sent away for threatening defenseless people. Apparently Windy gave the idiot a dark look and twitched a hand to one of her open knives."  
  
Artimas fell to his side laughing at the memory. "That pompous buffoon left for Mercury quickly after Queen Serenity said that the Windwalker would be staying as long as she pleased. I didn't see him again."  
  
"But the Mercurain Court did request that the Windwalker stay away from their ambassadors while armed," said Luna.  
  
"And knowing Windy as we do, even if she didn't look armed, she was," concluded Anubis.  
  
"Got that right," laughed Artimas.  
  
"So, what brings the advisors of the Silver Millennium to our door?" asked Kayura, wanting to get to the point of the visit.  
  
As Artimas was still chuckling, Luna answered. "Sage, Setsuna, and Michiru were going to see what Windy, Cale, and Hotaru found. It sounded like they were in the kitchen last we heard."  
  
Anubis looked at his partner and said, "Well, since we aren't getting anywhere here, we might as well find out what Prince Endymion and Chaos are doing." Kayura gave him a sheepish grin and quickly rose to her feet, to be joined by Anubis seconds later. They followed the two cats down the stairs to the growing crowd gathering in the kitchen.  
  
  
Quiet words and worried looks were still being traded between four individuals as Sage, Setsuna, and Michiru entered the living room. Haruka and Dais were the first to notice the three additional people in the room just listening to them. The look on Sage's face convinced Haruka that she had better keep any thoughts of Lita to herself while around him until anything was proven. Her decision was reinforced by the quiet looks from her partners. Dais came up with the same conclusion from the traded looks he witnessed between the blond and the three newcomers. Seckmet was the first to voice his opinion in front of his still unknown audience.  
  
"I still don't trust the wench. She could still turn on us. Once a betrayer, always a betrayer."  
  
"Look who's talking, Seckmet," said Sage quietly from the door. "I do believe that you did some betraying in your past."  
  
"Stay out of this Halo. You don't know the circumstances in which I was in," shot back Seckmet.  
  
Haruka looked uncomfortable and Michiru had a sad look on her face. Dais was the one that saved them from saying something at the moment. "But _I_ do know the circumstances and while I don't trust her, she is here. We know the signs; we will watch her. If she does think about betraying the Princes and Princess, then we can stop it before it affects the rest of us."  
  
"Oh, that's just great; the Cyclops and snake man watching Lita for signs of betrayal. May be we should let someone else do that. You may get too jumpy and make a mistake."  
  
Sage was surprised by common sense coming from his simple friend and the shock on Dais and Seckmet's faces showed that they were sharing the same boat. Since when did Kento become a voice of reason?  
  
A small smile graced Setsuna's face. "There may be hope for you yet, Kento of Hardrock." She looked up to include the rest of the group to say, "Come. Our friends are back and I think that they may have news about what they found in this Nether Realm Endymion is now residing in."  
  
Sighs and grumbles accompanied four distrustful and uneasy people. But they did join their friends in the fast becoming crowded kitchen to hear the reconnaissance report from the three weary spies.  
  
  
Hotaru was leaning against Lita and Windy had her head down in her arms on the table. Cale was leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed when the last stragglers came into the room. Cye and Mia were busy making dinner and Ryo was studying the table with great intensity while chewing on his lower lip.  
  
"If you keep that up, Ryo, you will burn a hole in Mia's table and then where will you be?" asked Sage.  
  
"In the dog house," responded Mia absently as she chopped lettuce for the salad.  
  
Cale and Hotaru smiled at the joke and a muffled bark of laughter came from Windy's hidden mouth. Hotaru straightened in her chair and looked at her old and new friends. She could see some of the quiet dissention already forming, but so far nothing was being brought into the open. A quick look showed that she was only slightly wrong. Rowen and Serena knew and the looks passed between Haruka and Michiru showed that the teal haired Sailor, Setsuna, and Sage also knew what had been said in the small group. Hopefully they weren't going to do any harm to the fragile emotions Lita was dealing with at the moment.  
  
"I think, Windwalker, that we should give our report before someone decides to pull it out of us," mentioned Cale.  
  
Windy lifted her head with a sigh and looked at the assemblage. "We were right about it being Endymion and Chaos, but Michiru's mirror was also right about there being a third person in the mix. Chaos decided to forgo the usual 'bring Tulpa back to exact his revenge for killing him' and called for someone a little more... ummm... 'smarter'."  
  
"So who are we going against now?" asked Kento. "The smart bad guy turned after we defeated Tulpa the first time."  
  
"Are you saying that we are stupid, Hardrock?" growled Seckmet.  
  
"Takes one to know one," muttered Cale.  
  
"Would you guys stop so Windy can continue?" interrupted Lady Kayura.  
  
Windy smiled a thanks to the Ancient and continued. "We're going against Badamon. And we know, 'Ryo destroyed him, how did he come back?' Like I told Cye, Ryo, Mia, and Lita, Chaos doesn't care about the rules. If it wanted to bring someone back to serve him, then it will. Ryo has been seeing dark images in the fire since I came back with Lita. What he's been seeing is Chaos' influence on the Nether Realm and the Mortal Realm where it touches the Nether Realm. Basically Chaos wants to destroy what 'defeated' it so long ago."  
  
"Will you have to bring Sailor Galaxia here as well?" asked Setsuna.  
  
Windy shrugged. "I think I will leave that as plan B. Let's see what we can do against Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber first. Chaos will just have to be pushed back to where it is suppose to be."  
  
"That will be comforting," groused Sage. "We defeat the lackeys, but have to imprison the one who brought them here."  
  
"Even I couldn't destory Chaos," said Serena. "I fought it when it was in Sailor Galaxia's body and all I could do was send it back from where it came from."  
  
Rowen wrapped his arms around his life bond and said quietly, "You won't fight it alone this time. I'll be with you. Always." Serena twisted to smile at her love and gagging sounds were made from the direction of Cale and Kento.  
  
Sage glowered at the two and shot "shut up" out of the corner of his mouth. It was rare to see his best friend so happy and seeing his twin so happy was enough to make the bearer of Halo content at the moment. He stole a quick glance at Lita and saw the wistful look in her green eyes. His heart twisted in his chest so painfully that Sage had to look away from the tall Jovian. Dark blue eyes from a ghost were the only ones to see his response to Lita while everyone else was either enjoying the view of Rowen and Serena or teasing them.  
  
"There is hope for you yet," whispered Windy to the separated pair.  
  
"So, what else did you find out?" asked Lady Kayura as the group settled down.  
  
Hotaru looked sadly over to the Ancient and said, "I don't think that you will be happy with what happened to the Nether Realm."  
  
"What happened?" growled Dais.  
  
"Badamon and Chaos turned it into the nightmare it was when Tulpa ruled," said Cale in quiet fury. "All our hard work was just smashed to bits."  
  
"Then we will get rid of the interlopers and fix it again," said Anubis. Those that knew him could hear the anger suppressed in his voice. They didn't want to be the ones who had ruined what they had worked so hard on.  
  
"So the tin cans are back?" asked Cye.  
  
"And uglier then ever," affirmed Windy. "I would say a little more powerful too, considering that Chaos raised them."  
  
"So we fight harder," said Haruka. "They at least won't be like the Animates or the phages that Galaxia made."  
  
"That is a small blessing," said Setsuna.  
  
"At least we won't hurt people," whispered Serena.  
  
"Don't worry princess, we'll kick Badamon back to the spirit realm, Endymion back to his dimension, and Chaos to a tiny hole in space for it to inhabit, then you and Rowen can get to know each other again," said Ryo with false cheer. The armor bearers and Windy could see the concern in his eyes and the memory of pain from having to fight Tulpa in the Inferno armor.  
  
"Right now I think that we should table the war talk and start on dinner," said Mia. "I think that it's ready although the table isn't. Any volunteers?"  
  
Bodies scrambled to get to the dining room, but a few stayed to help get the table set. Ryo handled the plates, while Rowen grabbed some of the glasses. Serena gathered the silverware, Windy grabbed a few more glasses, and Hotaru gathered the rest. Michiru and Lita helped Cye and Mia bring the dinner to the table, while Haruka kept Kento from attacking the food before it was in place. Sage looked at the Seasonals and mouthed, "Dishes for us tonight." 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 12  
  
  
Disclaimer: I live in Michigan. We have cars and the Big Mac (Mackinac Bridge, not the sandwich). We don't have Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors. Thus I am out of luck.  
  
  
It was late evening when Lita sought out the Windwalker again. She was getting more disappointed with herself for crying so much over a lost friendship, but the ghost never seemed to mind. Windy just let her cry on her shoulder and listen to all her doubts. 'I don't even think that my parents would be proud of me for what I'm doing,' thought the tall girl as she knocked on Windy's door.  
  
"Come in, Lita."  
  
How did she know it was Lita, but then the answer came to her. 'I've been keeping her up at night, she should know it was me.'  
  
Lita entered the small room and saw that Windy's two roommates were still downstairs or wherever Lady Kayura went to when not with the rest of the group. Movement in the shadows showed the two Guardians of the Moon Royalty were keeping the woman company. They saw the Jovian Sailor and started to leave.  
  
"It's alright, you don't have to go," offered Lita.  
  
The two cats settled down on the windowsills again and enjoyed the moonlight shining down on them. Windy smiled from her seat on the foot of her bed and motioned Lita to join her. "Still having doubts?" asked the ghost.  
  
"I don't know if he even realizes that I still love him. I didn't even know it until you brought me to that meeting. Now I don't know if I can even live in this dimension let alone this house."  
  
"May be you should do more then make a stand on where your loyalties lie, Lita," said a new voice. It was Setsuna coming to see Windy about what else she saw in the Nether Realm. "May be you should tell him about what you feel."  
  
"That would go over great. It would be just like my first boyfriend. You know what happened; the jerk dumped me and I was a wreck for weeks. If I talked with Prince Sage now, I probably be in worse shape if he even says he'll think about it."  
  
Windy looked at Setsuna. "May be we should give up our day jobs and let Lita do all the future seeing. She seems to know what will happen before it does."  
  
Lita looked at her emotional support and saw the sarcasm reflected in her eyes that was in her tone. Setsuna showed small disappointment in her face as she looked at her fellow Scout. "If that is what you think," she trailed off.  
  
The double attack was too much for Lita. She threw up her hands and cried, "Fine, I'll talk to him. If I do go catatonic, then it's both your faults."  
  
Both women had Mona Lisa smiles on their faces at Lita's admission. "We shall see, won't we?"  
  
Lita gave a surprised look and shook her head. Between the two, the ghost and the mysterious Scout managed to give her a sense of hope and to stop feeling sorry for herself so much. Now if only she could erase the fear that Serena showed in her eyes whenever she looked at Lita.  
  
"Give that time, Lita," said Windy. "She has to get through this as much as you are. I have some advice; it was given to me when I was a girl. 'Give all your worries to God, He'll be up all night anyway.' (AN: Good advice.) You will not get anywhere worrying about your unsteady relationship with anyone. Just keep working at gaining the others' trust and let them decide. Now, go. To. Bed."  
  
Lita smiled at the mothering tone in Windy's voice and took the advice on going to bed. She would have to work a little on the worrying part, but the right humor in the right places sure did help the situation.  
  
Windy looked at Setsuna and smiled. "Thanks for helping with Lita. She needed that extra push."  
  
"I was more then happy to help. May be the past won't be repeated this time."  
  
"We can only hope." Windy looked out the window the two cats had sat by as they watched the whole discussion silently. Nephlite liked to say that the stars knew everything, but Windy trusted the one who made the stars and put them in their places. No, tonight she would be taking her own advice and giving her worries to God. She didn't want the ulcers over Lita and Sage, the small group who decided to watch Lita like a hawk, and the coming battle with something so powerful that It did what It chose because I wanted to. If Windy did have to fight Chaos, then she would be leaning heavily on God for this fight.  
  
"Good night, Lady Windwalker."  
  
"Good night, Lady Guardian of the Time Gates."  
  
Sarcasm was thick that night. Windy would have to leave off on the chocolate if she didn't want to insult the male half of her Charges for the rest of the week. Or may be she should get more. It might improve her mood.  
  
  
"Sage, what's wrong?" asked Rowen as he looked up from his reading. Ryo also looked at the Ronin of Halo from his perch on the floor next to White Blaze.  
  
"Nothing," was the short reply.  
  
Ryo and Rowen looked at each other. "That didn't sound like nothing," commented Ryo. "It sounded more like 'I need help, but I'm too stubborn to ask'."  
  
"I do believe that you're right. May be we should get Cye and Anubis in here. They may be able to help Sage since he doesn't want to talk to us," continued Rowen.  
  
"Or we could get Windy. I think that she is still up with Lita."  
  
Sage flinched at Lita's name. Rowen and Ryo were watching Sage for a reaction and his response to Lita gave them an idea of what had the blond Ronin on edge.  
  
"I think that we have our answer, Ryo," said Rowen. "Lita is the center of Sage's problem."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," muttered Sage as he glared at his two roommates.  
  
"Sure you do," Ryo said. "You don't know what to make of Lita. You get flustered when you're around her, but you listen to anything said about her. Kento even said that you were defending her from Dais, Seckmet, and Haruka this afternoon."  
  
"Did Kento also mention that he was with that group also? Did he happen to say that they didn't trust Lita and will be keeping an eye on her while she's here?"  
  
The other two Ronins shook their heads. Rowen turned to Ryo and said, "May be Anubis should take her to the Nether Realm when this is all done. Cale seems to be interested in her."  
  
"Anubis has eyes for Lady Kayura and Cale just wants someone because he's lonely," retorted Sage. That was a mistake. Ryo and Rowen turned to look at him with questions in their eyes that demanded him to tell them why he thought like that. "If it was any of your business on knowing the relationships of others, then may be you should work on your own," snapped Sage at the twin looks. "Then you would stay out of trouble more."  
  
The two other Ronins glanced at each other. "Ouch. That one might have hurt, Sage, except that Ryo and Mia seem to be getting along great and Serena and I are life bonded."  
  
"Yeah, I guess that we're just lucky. Well, I don't know about the two of you, but I'm going to bed. Come on, Blaze, we shouldn't keep Sage and Rowen up." Ryo crawled to his air mattress on the floor and settled down for the night. White Blaze curled up in front of his human as if daring anyone to disturb the bearer of Wildfire. Rowen followed his leader's example and turned in early.  
  
Sage was left the only one in the room with an empty bed and a full mind. What was he going to do with Lita and his feelings that have been coming to the surface?  
  
The blond sighed. It was going to be another restless night filled with dreams about his past. He almost looked forward to them just to see Lita without the care lines etched on her face from her second reincarnation. From what his twin told him, Lita didn't have a wonderful childhood and had been living on her own for quite a while. That had lead to Lita learning to defend herself in all matters.  
  
"This is getting me no where. I just want to sleep."  
  
Sage tried to settle down for the night. Sleep did find the blond and the dreams came on its heels. The dreams were like a movie showing Sage what had happened in his past life and the vision of the tall Jovian princess he had fallen for, twice.  
  
  
"You really should go easy on Lita, Haruka."  
  
"Why, Michi? She has hurt Kitten with her comments before we left. May be she should learn what it's like to hurt."  
  
"She has, Haruka-papa," said Hotaru. "She has lived with it all her life since she lost her parents. The princess was the one to give her joy again."  
  
"And look how she thanked the princess; by blaming her for the head strong will of Rini. That child knew that it was dangerous, but she darted out anyway. And look where it got everyone."  
  
"Yes, look where it got everyone. The traitors are dealt with for once and for all. Serena is happy with Rowen and she has her twin back. We at last remember our true lives and Lita will finally close what has been open for a thousand years," said Michiru.  
  
"But what is the price?" asked Haruka. "Serena was ready to die when she lost her "friends". Endymion is now trying to take back what he wants and we have to fight to keep him from taking our princess again. Yes, having Lita here is just going to bring more harm than good."  
  
"I don't know, she seems to have brought us together more," said Setsuna. "We haven't worked with anyone for a long time and now we are starting to mingle with others for Princess Serena's sake. Lita has given us a gift that we should thank her for." The older Scout turned to her adopted child and said, "Lita is going to bed and I think that you should as well. We may be practicing again in the morning."  
  
Hotaru nodded her head and bade her adopted family good night. When she reached her room, Lita was in bed seeming asleep. Hotaru joined her in her slumber with a soft good night.  
  
Haruka turned to her partners. "So we should thank Lita for not making her decision on the Moon all those years ago because it has brought us here?"  
  
Setsuna shook her head. "No, we should thank her for trying to make up for a mistake that she made. The other Inners haven't even considered they even made a mistake. I talked with Windy after I had calmed down a little and she told me that the others weren't even sorry for turning their backs on the princess."  
  
"So Lita is different from the others," muttered Haruka. "I still remain skeptical."  
  
Michiru sighed. "Fine, but don't be so hard on her. She is trying to make up for what she has done. We must be as forgiving as the princess is, like the God that Windy follows is. Remember that we needed that forgiveness once."  
  
Haruka nodded her head. She would wait out Lita and see what she will do. 'But gods help her if she makes Kitten cry again.'  
  
  
"How was your session with Lita tonight?" asked Mia as she entered her room.  
  
Windy looked up from her book and started to put it away. "It went fairly well. I think that she will now start working more on earning back the trust of the others and not being depressed about the loss."  
  
"That wasn't what she meant," said Lady Kayura as she entered the room from the bathroom. "We want to know what she is going to do about her feelings for Halo."  
  
Windy gave a mysterious smile. "That is up to her, Sage, and God." A sanctimonious look crossed the ghost's face. "I don't mettle in things like that." The look dissolved into a broad grin. The answering grins from the last Ancient and the archivist of the nine armors showed the understanding between the three. The pair would be watched and nudged in the right direction if needed. 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 13  
  
Disclaimer: Unless Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors have something to do with my new ceiling fan, I still don't own them. Ya know, that might be a good thing; look at all the hype and problems they are having with dubbing them.  
  
  
At the "ungodly" hour of five in the morning, everyone was pulled out of their comfortable beds and told to get ready for practice. Cye wasn't excused to make breakfast and Serena was handed a cup of instant coffee to wake her up. Windy cracked a few large yawns that matched the two Guardians and White Blaze's yawns. Sage looked disgustingly awake and was receiving dirty looks from his blue-haired roommate. The Seasonals were somewhat awake and the Outer Sailors were watching everything like they expected an attack. Lita stood with Cye and wished that she could have been helping out in the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning everyone," yawned Windy.  
  
"What's so good about it?" muttered Kento. "And why do you look so awake?"  
  
"Practice," smirked Windy. "Besides, it's a new day and who knows what will happen." That was greeted with snorts of laughter from different parties in the group.  
  
"What if we wanted to eat breakfast first? Cye and Lita will be out practicing with us and no one will be fixing breakfast," complained Kento.  
  
"I don't think that you will fade away if you have to wait for breakfast, Hardrock," said Dais. A fight was going to start in the kitchen when Mia looked over at Ryo and Anubis. They got the general idea and pulled the two warring parties away from each other.  
  
"That is why I'm up, Kento. I will be making breakfast while you will be practicing," said Mia.  
  
"And we will be helping," stated Luna.  
  
Seckmet raised an eyebrow. "How?"  
  
Artimas looked affronted. "We can change our shape for a while. We just become human for a bit to help out the Lady Mia and then we change back."  
  
Serena snickered. "Just don't leave cat hair in the food." Windy chuckled at the sally and her own memories of pulling cat hair from her dinners.  
  
"Switching partners again?" asked Cale.  
  
"You got it," affirmed Ryo. "You don't get to beat up on Cale today, Sage." This time Ryo was given the dirty look from Sage and a look that said 'be careful' from Rowen.  
  
"Ryo, don't pick on Sage," said Mia. "He has enough on his mind without you picking on him too." Sage flashed a thanking smile at Mia, but frowned when she continued. "Although Sage, you should do something about that problem that you're agonizing over. May be talk it out with the other party..." Sage scowled and left the house in a huff.  
  
"I've never seen Halo act like that before," commented Dais.  
  
"That's because he has something on his chest he should get off, but won't," said Rowen.  
  
"And when he finally does, may be there will more peace in this house," added Serena.  
  
The discussion was suspended for the interim and everyone went out after the angry Sun Prince. Cye and Kento were paired up with Serena to help her with her glaive more and Hotaru went with Lady Kayura to work more on the staff. Setsuna followed the pair to add her knowledge and experience. Sage paired up with Sailor Uranus and the others found different partners of their own. Ryo asked Windy if she wanted to practice with him and they started to work on their sword fighting.  
  
"Okay, Princess, you have to have a good grip on your staff, but have to have it loose enough to adjust for changes in your opponent's attack," Kento was drilling. Serena and Cye were faced off with each other while the unexpected help came from the larger Ronin.  
  
"Is there a reason why you are fighting me and not Kento?" asked Serena.  
  
"Because Kento sometimes forgets who he's fighting and could and will beat them into the ground. Besides, you are trying to remember what you learned in the Silver Millennium, not trying to attack Kento in a mock battle," replied Cye.  
  
"If you two are done, let's get started," groused Kento.  
  
Cye and Serena bowed, tapped their weapons, and then they started to fight. Serena remembered some of what Hotaru and Windy showed her the other time, but was slow in the timing. Cye adjusted for it and helped her get through some of the forms. Once he was sure she remembered, he started to speed up the timing, forcing Serena to work harder. By the time break was announced, Serena was up to half the speed Cye usually fought at.  
  
"So, how is Kitten doing?" asked Haruka.  
  
"She's doing well," said Kento. "Cye has enough patience to get her to speed up."  
  
"May be by the end of this practice, Serena will be quicker then she was yesterday," said Cye.  
  
"Just be careful," said Michiru. "She's just remembering skills from a thousand years ago. Queen Serenity didn't want her daughter to remember how to fight."  
  
"But I had to anyway," said Serena.  
  
"And you did a good job when you had to," said Lita quietly.   
  
Haruka gave the Jovian Sailor a hard look and Lita was just about to leave when Serena stopped her. "What do you mean?" asked Serena. "I let Rini die," she ended quietly.  
  
Lita looked at her princess sadly. "If I hadn't let my emotions run out of control, I would have realized that she was putting herself and us all at risk. I should have remembered how many times she managed to put us in danger in the first place. This time she couldn't be rescued in the nick of time."  
  
"But I put us in danger too," said Serena.  
  
"And you got us out of danger," returned Lita. "We put ourselves in trouble just as much as you with our stubborn ways." Lita knelt to her princess. "I hope that one day you will forgive me my errors against you, Princess."  
  
Everyone stopped what he or she were doing and watched what the Moon Princess would do. On the porch, Luna and Artimas watched with intense interest. Now would make or break the Jovian Princess and may be even the whole situation.  
  
Serena straightened her back and took on the courtly airs of the lost Silver Millennium. "You have asked for my forgiveness. You have started to earn it, but you must continue. Then may be one day you will have my trust again."  
  
Sailor Jupiter, Princess Lita of Jupiter, guard to Princess Serenity of the Moon, bowed her head to her princess. "As you command." Lita rose to her feet and bowed before her princess again before turning to walk away.  
  
Sage took a swift glance at his- what? Beloved? Companion? Guard? Whatever she was, he saw the beginning of peace on the Amazon's troubled face. A look at Windy and Setsuna showed a small smile on each of their faces, like the smile on the painting of Mona Lisa. What did they know? What were they pushing?  
  
'Now is not the time to reason, now is the time to do and die.' The thought slipped into Sage's mind sounding faintly like the meddling ghost's voice. The Mona Lisa smile had grown on the Windwalker's face to an outright grin. Sage pulled a face at the grinning ghost and turned his back to her. He would figure out everything in his own way.  
  
"That boy could be the death of me," muttered Windy.  
  
Ryo, standing next to her, nodded. Sage needed to be kicked in the pants to help his thinking process a little. This wasn't his friend; this was a confused boy trying to figure things out for himself. Not a good combination with the trouble brewing.  
  
  
The group stayed out until ten in the morning before going in for a true breakfast. Around eight, Mia had brought out rolls for the warriors to snack on to keep their strength up while practicing. When practice was deemed over, everyone went to wash up and promised the owner of the house they were staying at that they would shower after breakfast.  
  
"Although how we are going to have enough hot water will be a mystery to me," said Kento. "Sage uses most of it for his showers."  
  
"Wildfire could always heat water outside for us to bathe in," snickered Kale.  
  
"And you would have a very cold bath," retorted Ryo.  
  
"Don't worry," said Windy. "I'll look at the water heater. May be I can convince it to work a little harder."  
  
"That will be a trick," muttered Lady Kayura.  
  
Windy winked. "You got it."  
  
"Too bad the lovebirds couldn't share the shower," teased Seckmet.  
  
Haruka turned the joke around though. "I'm sure that Michiru and I would love to share the shower, but then you would loose more hot water." Seckmet shut his mouth while the Outer Sailors and Serena snickered.  
  
"Are you really..." Cye didn't know how to finish his question.  
  
"That, little Ronin, is none of your business," stated Haruka.  
  
The matter was dropped. Quickly.  
  
  
It was much later, everyone had their showers, and Mia took a group to do some more grocery shopping while the rest lounged around the house after helping clean. Windy was out on the porch reading a book while Sage meditated on the opposite end. They were to only ones who felt the wind change and felt danger approach the quiet house. Windy closed her book quickly and readied a small knife. Sage broke away from his trance and stood.  
  
All of the sudden two black roses flew through the air toward the pair. Sage leaned to the left to dodge one and it landed in the siding of the house. Windy caught the other and effortlessly changed the magic in the rose, turning it from iridescent black to blaring white.  
  
"Very good," congratulated a voice in the woods. "That was nice how you managed to turn chaos into something good. And you, Prince Sage, able to avoid being hit by the other. That takes some talent."  
  
"Why don't you step out of the woods, coward prince, and face us," challenged Sage.  
  
"Because I'm not interested in you or the ones in the house at the moment. My interest is being settled by a friend of mine on the other half of the residents. May be I will see you again, brother." Then the voice was gone, leaving a cold feeling running down two precognitive's backs.  
  
"Where's Serena?" asked Sage.  
  
"She went with Mia and Ryo to go grocery shopping. Rowen went with the group."  
  
"I don't like that threat. I think they may be in danger."  
  
"Go tell the others we're going out, then meet me in front. If Endymion does attack, hopefully Lita, Rowen, Cale, Anubis, and Ryo can hold him off."  
  
"What if it's Badamon?"  
  
"Then you best hurry, shouldn't you?"  
  
Sage ran into the house to let the inhabitants know he and Windy were leaving. When he raced out the front door, Windy was waiting for him on an American motorcycle. He raised an eyebrow, but slid on behind her. Windy opened the throttle and let the bike go with a roar. If she had to, Windy was going to bend a few rules and break a few speed laws to get the their friends.  
  
  
"Rage of Inferno!"  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"  
  
"Arrow Shock Wave!"  
  
Rowen stood by his love and Mia while Ryo and Lita edged out further away to fight off the Dynasty soldiers. On the other side, Kale and Anubis fought off more that tried attacking from behind. They had everything well in hand until the familiar bass humming started. The warriors familiar with the sound felt the hair on the backs of their necks raise as the Nether Spirits started to make their appearance with Badamon grinning in the center.  
  
"I think that you have something my Lord and the Prince would like to have," he sneered.  
  
"And I would go with you because..?" asked Serena.  
  
"Because you would have no choice."  
  
Between the soldiers and the spirits, the sphere of safety was growing smaller and smaller by the second. The Nether Realm spirits didn't affect Sailors Jupiter and Moon, but the two Ronins and Seasonals felt the strain from the dark forces. Rowen stood by his Life Bond in an effort to keep her safe, but soon it would be a challenged to even fight hand to hand in such close quarters.  
  
"Thunder Bolt Cut!"  
  
A welcome reprieve came with Sage's voice, but it didn't affect the Nether soldiers much. Some of the tin cans backed off to fight the new threat, but they were a few compared to the majority still closing in on the group.  
  
"If you were given the power from Cale's and my armor, would you be able to form the Inferno armor with Sage and Rowen?" asked Anubis.  
  
"May be, but it's going to be difficult with the Nether Spirits here. Last time I tried that, Badamon tried to possess me."  
  
"Is that your only worry, Ryo of Wildfire?" came a questioning breeze.  
  
Ryo nodded his head, but didn't answer, unsure of where the breeze came from and whom he was answering. He got his answer a few minutes later.  
  
A bright light started to glow from the area of where Sage was fighting and took to the air. One by one it grew and came closer to the floating Nether Spirits. Whenever it brushed the evil ghost, the Nether Spirit faded with a painful look on its usually expressionless face. Badamon noticed that he was loosing Nether Spirits and that the light was getting closer to him.  
  
"You won't get me that easily, undead witch," he mocked. The Lord of the Nether Spirits disappeared with his remaining Spirits just before the bright light touched the outside of his sphere of magic.  
  
Cale, Anubis, Sage, and Rowen glowed their respective armor colors before the power flew to Ryo. His Wildfire armor fled to be replaced with the white armor of Inferno. Even with White Blaze not in the area, the Soul Swords of Fervor came to Ryo's hands. The chaos controlled soldiers fell before the power of the white armor. When the armor wasn't needed any more, the four other armor powers returned to their bearers.  
  
"Ryo how did you get the Soul Swords?" asked Mia.  
  
"Never mind that," said Cale. "Who scared off Badamon?"  
  
"How did you know that we needed your help, Sage?" asked Serena.  
  
The others looked to see Sage and a cloaked figure approaching them. Sage answered his sister, "Prince Endymion came to threaten. Windy got us here as fast as she could without breaking a few laws."  
  
"It looks like we managed to get here just in time too," said the hidden figure.  
  
"Why are you covering yourself, Lady?" asked Anubis.  
  
"I had to do something to the Nether Spirits so Ryo could form the Inferno armor safely. They don't like the polar opposite of evil and for me to do that I had to "light up". It will take some time before I can fade down to a respectable level so I can take this off," said the cloaked Windy.  
  
"Why can't you just turn it on and off like a switch?" asked Ryo.  
  
"Because of the intensity. To get rid of them, I had to show a lot of the Creator's might. It's bit different then looking like lightening. Sage, I'm going to let you take the bike back. I want to allow myself to fade a bit before I come back into "polite" company."  
  
"Sage, thank you for coming to help us," said Serena.  
  
"I had to. You're my sister and they're my friends, I wasn't going to let some coward do anything to my family." 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 14  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since my last chapter and I doubt it will any time soon.  
  
Windy will be called a Guardian in this chapter. It is not the same as Luna and Artimas; Windy is like a Guardian angel. There will be some references to Michigan, please don't mind them, they're just me starting my autumn rant.  
  
  
This time it was Ryo out on the porch when Windy returned with her hood down on her cloak. He stood up from his seat when she approached and met her half way up the stairs. "I was waiting for you," he said.  
  
"What did you want to talk about?" asked the ghost.  
  
"It's about Sage. I'm getting worried and so is Rowen. Serena told him that Sage is almost cutting her off from their twin bond and he is avoiding Lita and the Seasonals as much as he can."  
  
"Ah, one of the big problems. May be we should bring the Ronin of Halo and Prince of the Sun to see someone."  
  
"Who?" asked Ryo.  
  
"His father."  
  
"You can get him? I thought he was dead," asked Ryo, surprised.  
  
"Yes and no," replied Windy. "It's just like when I took Lita to see someone. This time I will be going with Sage to talk to the Sun King; it turns out he wasn't happy about what his wife did. May be he can talk some sense into our favorite blonde hardhead."  
  
Ryo laughed at the description of his friend and asked, "Hardhead? I thought that Kento was the hardhead."  
  
"He is," smirked Windy. "It's just that on some things Sage is more stubborn then a mule and I plan on out stubborning him on this. You can start making your bets now."  
  
The pair laughed as they entered the house. Mia looked up from her laptop and smiled at her boyfriend. Ryo joined her to see what she was doing and Windy went to the refrigerator to see what the leftovers looked like.  
  
"You might not find anything in there. Kento was hungry and decided to binge."  
  
"So all the shopping that you did was for nothing? I'll go shopping tomorrow morning while everyone is practicing."  
  
"That doesn't sound very fair," said Setsuna as she walked in to get a drink of water.  
  
"Ah, but I have the advantage of being older and more ready than you kids on the battlefield," said Windy. "Besides, these old bones are yelling for a rest and I have to talk someone into meeting with me and a visitor. This way I can kill two birds with one stone."  
  
"I hate it when you have good reasons," muttered Haruka hearing the explanation. Michiru smiled at her partner and looked at Windy.  
  
"Who do you plan on talking to?"  
  
"One of the few that are still around from the Silver Millennium. I need to beat sense into a certain prince and hopefully he will help."  
  
Looks were passed between the three Outers and they understood what the Windwalker was talking about. Windy was going to, hopefully, help their Prince see reason.  
  
"Do you think that you can help him see what he's missing?" asked Michiru.  
  
"I hope so. It will depend on him and her."  
  
"It may be a good idea or it might break the other half of the siblings," muttered Haruka.  
  
Setsuna shook her head. "I don't think that will happen. You can see Lita's feelings about Prince Sage even now. He will be the one who will break anyone's heart, be it his own or hers. We will just have to watch them carefully after tomorrow."  
  
The group parted with the hope for tomorrow. Windy for her dinner and the Outers for whatever pursuits they were taking care of at the time. Ryo and Mia huddled around her laptop and studied the information her grandfather had left encrypted for her.  
  
  
"Why don't you talk to her?" asked Rowen as he sat on his bed watching his friend.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," retorted Sage.  
  
"Yes, you do and it's tearing you and Lita up. You should talk to her. May be you can start something that should have been in the past."  
  
"No. She hurt Rena; why should I give her a chance?"  
  
"Because Serena is. You saw what happened today at practice. Lita asked formally for forgiveness. May be you should try doing the same as Serena."  
  
"Hnn."  
  
"Fine. Be that way. I think that Ryo is concerned and I know he will try to get help. You are going to listen to someone if we have to tie you down and yell it in your ears."  
  
Rowen gave up and started to read his book. He looked up only when Ryo joined his roommates for the night. White Blaze looked at the bearer of Halo and gave a smug look before joining his human on the floor. Rowen caught the look and figured that something was going to happen soon.  
  
  
The next morning Windy told the rest of the house what her plans were. Of course she was challenged by a few (read here Kento, Seckmet, and Dais). Some of the others knew what was needed and why she as going. Others weren't as open minded, but didn't want to get the unknown mad at them. The third group was proved right when Windy took the three dissenters out and showed them that she didn't need to practice.  
  
"They're all warmed up for you, but you might want to wait until they gather their pride and sore body parts back together before practicing with them. Especially Kento, he had a hard hit that last time. I was afraid that he was going to stay unconscious for a lot longer." Windy shrugged her shoulders and started for the front of the house. The three soundly beaten warriors started to get up. It took them several tries before they could stay on their feet while swaying.  
  
"Do you need any money or a car for the shopping?" asked Mia.  
  
The ghost shook her head. "I have a car. And I'm sure that I can get my money exchanged at a bank in town."  
  
"What kind of car?" asked Haruka.  
  
"One of Ford's finest. It's not a Mustang, but it gets through the snow good." There were some worried looks on different faces at the mention of an American car. "Don't worry," said Windy. "I'll drive on the right side of the road for this country. And I have a plate for the car. It's all legal." The ghost walked away from the worried group.  
  
"Think she'll be okay?" asked Michiru.  
  
"She should be fine," replied Sage. "She did it yesterday with her motorcycle."  
  
Kayura looked at Sage. "Should we ask?"  
  
"It was about that time when I told you we were leaving. My sister and the others were being attacked."  
  
"You'll have to tell us about it later, then," said Setsuna.  
  
"Yes, later," responded Sage.  
  
  
Windy drove to a secluded park along the way to the city. After parking the car she wandered around the area until she found a place where she could work. "It would be nice to find a natural door, but I'm just thankful that I can do this here." Windy rolled her eyes. "Imagine trying to do this in the city." The Occidental stranger chuckled at her own sally and started her work. Soon the clearing she was standing in was empty, but to those with the ability to see beyond the material world they would have seen a door standing in the center.  
  
  
The Sun King paused in his work to think about his lost children once again. He has lost his heir and his daughter when the Moon was attacked a millennium ago. Now he had to carry on without any of his family. You would have thought that he would have turned bitter toward the loss, but one visit to the desolate Moon gave him a small hope. All he had to do was wait.  
  
"Majesty," interrupted a soldier. "There is a person here to see you."  
  
"Tell him to leave. I'm busy."  
  
The soldier looked flustered. "I can't, Great Light. The woman said if I came back with a refusal she would make this whole palace a piece of rubble and pull you out of the stones to talk to you."  
  
"It was an empty threat," waved the King.  
  
"No. It wasn't, old man. I am very capable of doing it."  
  
The Sun King looked up to see who would dare to call him an old man. He has served as the Sun Keeper for a long time, but to be called an old man called for retribution on the insulting person.  
  
He didn't have time to do anything else except look up.  
  
"I've come to talk to you about your idiot son. I don't know where he got his stubborn streak, but I have a feeling it came from you and that person who called herself the Moon Queen."  
  
The King stood doing a good impression of a fish out of water. "Leave us," he croaked to the soldiers. They left in a hurry. "What brings you here, Guardian?"  
  
Windy looked the Sun King up and down. "Your son. He needs to be kicked in the pants, but I'm hoping that a talk from you will straighten him out."  
  
"On what subject?"  
  
"Admitting his feelings to a certain Jovian princess before she gets swept away by another. Almost like what happened to you, I think."  
  
"I would love to talk to my son, but Serenity sent him to a different dimension. I can't reach him anymore."  
The Windwalker snorted. "That's where I come in," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I get him here or take you there and you have the father to son heart-to-heart. May be he can FINALLY say something to Lita."  
  
"Lita?"  
  
"Makato."  
  
"Oh. The Jovian princess; she didn't give her stand at the end of the Silver Millennium did she?"  
  
"No, but she is about to now. The Scout of Jupiter is about to give her stance and the power will be out of flux once it's done."  
  
"Then it will start over."  
  
Windy shook her head. "Let the children set their own future. Let the Silver Millennium stay in the past. Let Crystal Tokyo be a dream unless it is really wanted. Serena has had enough battles and Sage has had enough trials of his own to overcome. Let them decide their own future."  
  
The Sun King smiled. "You are wise for a young Guardian. I wish that my wife had listened to you a little more."  
  
"The Moon Queen was stubborn. She didn't see me as a Guardian, she saw an eighteen-year-old looking ghost who had the title of Guardian. My wisdom comes from my Master and my experience. I believe in free will and the only set future is the Second Coming of Christ." The ghost sighed and looked up. "If you listen to every Christian saying the Lord's Prayer you will hear them ask for it to be soon. I know that I pray for it every day; I'm tired and I want to go home." She looked back at the king. "I'll stop my self pity and finish my other task before dragging Sage to you. I'll call before I come if that's alright with you?"  
  
"That will be fine. Is there any place that is neutral we can go to?"  
  
Windy winked as she turned to leave. "I think I can find something." The ghost disappeared from the presence of the Sun King.  
  
"I will finally get to see my son again." He raised his eyes to the ceiling, but meant it to go farther. "Thank you Great One."  
  
  
It took awhile, but Windy did return with the extra groceries. Kento was instantly pressed into helping bring them into the house. "Touch one item and I will put you on a liquid diet," threatened Windy. "You will have trouble even saying your sure kill unless I let you."  
  
Kento didn't chance the threat being a promise. Windy had done something like this before and she sometimes did carry out that threat. Sage getting a cold shower proved that.  
  
When all the groceries were put away Windy turned to the Ronin of Hardrock. "Thanks for the help. Here, I thought that you might like a treat for putting up with the threat I gave you." She handed him a brown paper bag and Kento looked at it suspiciously. "Trust me, it's good and it may even fill you for a while. I liked to eat it when I was in the area."  
  
Kento shrugged and opened the bag. Inside was a huge pastry. Thinking that it had some sort of jelly in it, he took a large bite. He was surprised that it wasn't a jelly or a sweet filling, but vegetables and meat.  
  
"It's a pasty (pronounced with a long a). It makes for a good meal when your hungry and it's filling. I loved them." The ghost walked off to find someone and Kento went back to his game. Surprisingly, he did feel content after eating the pasty.  
  
  
Ryo found the Windwalker before she found Sage. "Are you going through with it?" he asked.  
  
"I already talked with his father. Once I find your brother in arms, he is going to have a little chat with a long lost family member. Try to keep Rowen and Serena out of the way. They can talk to him later."  
  
"You got it," nodded Ryo.  
  
The two parted and Windy continued her search. She threw all pride aside and started to ask the forest and wind where the object of her search was. They directed the ghost to the small clearing that Sage liked to train and meditate on his own. Quietly Windy entered the area and stood before the Prince of the Sun.  
  
"What do you want?" asked Sage.  
  
"Your undivided attention," said Windy.  
  
Sage opened his eyes. "What?"  
  
"You need to talk to Lita. You're putting her and a lot of others through needless pain and worry because you don't talk to her. You heard your sister yesterday. Lita is on her way to forgiveness and may be once again the trust she lost. Are you going to let the same mistake you made a thousand years ago play out again?"  
  
"Why not? History does repeat itself."  
  
"You know, you can be a complete idiot sometimes. The whole reason why we have history in school is to learn from past mistakes. Stop repeating your own and talk!" Windy turned to walk away. "Oh," she tossed over her shoulder. "There's someone else that wants to have a word with you."  
  
"Who?"  
  
Windy gave a now familiar smirk. "You'll see." Then the clearing had only one occupant.  
  
A deer crept into the clearing in hopes of finding something to eat, but found the woman. "Your welcome to eat; I'm just leaving." Windy quietly left the deer to its foraging commenting on how small it seemed to the white tailed cousins she was used to. "Blasted things take out cars worse too," muttered the ghost. "Just you wait. When November comes I'll be seeing a lot of deer on the way to work. The things I do to keep money in the bank." She continued on to find out if Ryo had kept his promise. She thanked him and Jesus that the two Life Bonds were completely oblivious to Sage's trip. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 15  
  
Disclaimer: Now if my father is going to have a birthday soon, but he hasn't asked for the Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. Frankly I would be surprised if he did considering he doesn't like either. So neither one is in the family meaning that I have no claim to them. Any questions?  
  
  
Sage was going to do something to the Windwalker when he got back. He didn't know what, but he was going to do something to her. Instead of the clearing he had been meditating in, now he was in a great flat plain. In the distance were mountains capped with snow, but he didn't think that he could get to them in a day. To his right was a very large oak tree with perpetual green leaves and on a closer approach there was a small shallow pond in front of it. Nothing was growing in or on the water and Sage could see no fish swimming in it. Sometimes Sage would see a flash of something on the surface, but it would disappear as quickly as it appeared. He had no idea where he was or how to get home.  
  
"Nice to see you again, my son."  
  
Sage looked up to see a tall man walking around the tree trunk. The Ronin of Halo wondered where the man had come from and who he was.  
  
"No greeting for your first father, Prince Sage?" asked a voice from the tree. Closer inspection showed Windy sitting on a branch with her feet swinging down. She didn't seem to be interested in the goings on around her.  
  
"What do you mean my first father? I only had my one father," bit Sage.  
  
Windy barked a laugh. "Oh, that's good. Queen Serenity had an immaculate conception and, bam; the two of you were born. Right. Tell me another one."  
  
"The Guardian is right, Sage. I would be your first father. The one that helped you come into the world in the Silver Millennium."  
  
"So, you are my father. It is a pleasure to meet you."  
  
The Sun King turned to Windy still in the tree. "I don't remember my son ever acting so polite. Did you do something to him?"  
  
"Me? No. That would be the influence of his current family. Just like Serena was influenced by her second birth family. Too bad they had such little faith in her."  
  
"Everyone had little faith in Rena," said Sage. "No one would look past her act to see what she truly was."  
  
"No one?" asked Windy with an arched eyebrow. "I certainly did know her importance and tried to protect her as much as I could in the past and the present. Her mother did little to get to know her and your father couldn't leave everything just to see her on a whim now could he. He was having as much trouble as the Moon with the rebellion sitting so close to him as well."  
  
"I would have loved to see Serena as she grew up. May be I would have been able to help her more then her mother seemed to have. I didn't agree with the marriage arrangement and I was saddened that Serenity had sent you all away before I could see you. I may not have been able to stop your deaths, but I would have liked to let you know I did love you before you were swept away into the mists of time."  
  
Sage digested what he had been told and it didn't taste very good on his tongue. Windy had been the most honest out of all the mystics he had come across and what little Sailor Pluto and the other Outers had told him of Serena's current lifetime, their mother had much to answer for. Sage decided to trust what Windy was doing and see what else the King and Guardian had in store for him. "I don't think that Windy brought us here for a reunion so we should probably get down to business. What else do you have to say father?"  
  
"That's the son I raised," laughed the Sun King. "The Lady Guardian came to me about a concern that she and I guess a few others have about you and a certain princess. That you haven't let her near enough to you to even try talking to her about anything."  
  
Sage narrowed his eyes at Windy. "What princess?" he asked his father.  
  
"It would be the Princess of Jupiter, Makato Lita, I believe."  
  
"I don't see why I should talk to her. She had as little faith in Rena as Rena's family or mother. She turned on Rena just before Lady Windy brought Serena here. Then the Lady had the gall to bring the traitor here and close to Rena. History will happen all over again. Something will happen and Sailor Jupiter will forsake all vows she made to her princess and leave Serena in the lurch."  
  
"Not this time, my son," said the Sun King. "This time Sailor Jupiter will make her stand and the powers that be will listen. Once she has made her pledge, then she can't revoke it. Everything will mark her word and proceed from there. It will be binding."  
  
"Great," said Sage sarcastically. "Makato will be bound to Serena. But why should I talk to her?"  
  
The Sun King looked at the Guardian again. "What happened to my son that he would avoid talking to a woman much less the one he has affection for?"  
  
Windy gave Sage a measuring look. "I would say that it was something to do with his current life and family as well. He wasn't the oldest this time and had to put up with older sisters."  
  
Sage grew angry. "That isn't any of your or his business. My family life is mine to deal with."  
  
Windy looked at the Sun King. "I was right."  
  
Father looked at son. "Sage, I loved you and I will continue to love you. What happened in your new family isn't any of my business, but you must overcome your fear. It will only lead you to an unhappy ending if you don't have the courage to overcome it. I loved Serenity when I married her and I still do even if I don't agree with what she did. I almost lost her to another suitor and almost lost my daughter to a Prince in another galaxy. I put my fear aside to claim the one I loved and to put my foot down before Serenity betrothed Serena to that prince. Now I give you the same advice. Don't let your love escape you. Fight for her and don't stop fighting until you win her or she gives you a reason to stop. Control your fate, don't let it control you."  
  
"Is that all?" asked Sage.  
  
"No. I love you and Serena and I always will. Do me proud; live your lives." The Sun King turned to Windy. "I'm ready to go back now. If I stay away too long, then someone will start thinking that they should be doing my job and I hate to get rid of good help for just being pushy."  
  
Windy jumped down from her perch in the tree and bowed to the King with a mocking smirk on her face. "As you wish mighty king of the Sun."  
  
"Don't give me that," growled the King. "I have enough of that from the Court. I almost prefer you calling me old man."  
  
Windy's smirk became a mischievous grin. "If that is your wish..."  
  
The Sun King waved at her disgustedly. "Just get me home."  
  
Windy waved her own hand and the Sun King was returned to his palace and work. Then she turned to Sage. "Well?"  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"Say it now before you get home. I don't want the whole area to blow up from your temper."  
  
Sage scowled. "You didn't have to do that. I was content with the way things are. I didn't need anything from my father let alone a talk about my feelings."  
  
Windy gave him a measuring look and started to walk around the pond. "Actually, yes, you did. I'm sure you were quite happy stalking around the house in a perpetual black cloud, making your twin miserable, and snapping at the Seasonals and Lita. Yes, you were doing quite well making progress and settling with the new changes."  
  
Sage exploded. The ghost was just asking for it and he was finally going to give it to her. "Yes, I was miserable. I was confused," he yelled. "I saw the person that I didn't know if I liked after I heard that she had betrayed my sister. I saw the fear in Serena's eyes when Lita was first brought here. I wasn't sure if I could cope with her being here, my feelings, and the feelings of my sister. Then Cale started to pay attention to her and I began to think that I wouldn't get to tell her anything. When she asked for Serena's forgiveness, I felt a little better, but I had been hiding my feelings for so long then and now that I don't know where to start. Heck, Makato probably is with Cale right as we speak."  
  
Windy wasn't looking at Sage at the end of his tirade; she was looking at the pond. She gave a slight smile and turned to Sage. "Actually she is with Cale at this moment." Windy forestalled Sage's "I told you so" with a raised hand. "You want to know what she's talking about? She's asking your rival about you. She wants to know as much about you as she can get without annoying you. You have been so grouchy that she is walking on eggshells around you. She just wants to know if you really return her feelings that she is finally acknowledging."  
  
Sage was going to say something, but Windy interrupted him again. "Before you say anything more, Lita had a rough time in her previous dimension. She was a tomboy who lost her family and had only the other Sailors for a family. Yes, she was afraid when Rini was killed, that is a natural reaction. How many times have you yelled at Ryo for almost killing himself? If I recall it was plenty of times. The only difference is that Ryo hears it and an apology from you and has a case of guilt. Serena heard the condemning, but no apology and she has a case of low self-esteem. Ryo knows that you support him because you are friends. Serena only had the support because she was found to be the legendary and missing moon princess the Sailors were looking for. The Outers didn't have this trouble because they had a different mission given to them by Serenity. They saw the power Serena has learned to weld and understand that she will have to work at the rest of the power. The Inners who betrayed her had a knack for their powers and expected her to also. Kind of hard to remember something taken away from you by your own mother and then given power by the Silver Crystal, isn't it?"  
  
Sage nodded his head. He could understand that part, but why out of all of them did Lita come back when she was one of the ones who betrayed in the first place?  
  
"Lita wasn't given a chance by anyone by the time she had come to Serena's school. She had been the person accused of causing fights, so no one came close to her. Then Serena came into her life. Serena didn't care that she was taller then everyone or that she was strong and could win any fight against any bully. All Serena cared for was the fact that Lita was a great cook and was willing to be her friend. Serena made friends with all her Sailors before they found their powers, but Lita was the most loyal out of the Inners." Windy looked back down at the pond again. "When we get back, Lita will be on the back porch. I would suggest that the two of you go someplace private and talk. I think that Ryo and I will be able to keep any nosey people from interrupting and I'm sure that Rowen will be happy that you are finally doing something about your problem."  
  
"So the great Guardian and the Sun King commands me to talk to Makato?" asked Sage mockingly.  
  
Windy shook her head. "No a concerned father and a worried friend ask you to talk to Lita. For the good of you, Lita, your sister, and the rest of the group. By the end of this trial, we will need a united front and you will have to work with Lita sooner or later."  
  
Sage was resigned. "Since you put it that way, I'll talk to her. Don't expect miracles like I'll fall desperately in love with her like Serena and Rowen are. I doubt that will happen."  
  
Windy shrugged. "Not asking for any. Besides, I just give the messages; I don't orchestrate how things will turn out. For all I know, you and Lita will be as attached to each other as Serena and Rowen are. Then there will be even more complaints of needing to brush teeth due to the sappiness in the house."  
  
"Whatever. Can we go now?"  
  
"Sure." Windy looked at the pond once more. The surface showed Lita and Sage in a very long kiss on the back porch. In the background was a smug looking Ryo and Rowen with Mia and Serena grinning like fools. Cye was off to another side trying to keep Kento's mouth covered while he timed the kiss. Windy was sure that the kissing pair didn't even know they had an audience as they continued the kiss. Windy turned to leave the neutral Middle World and the pond of Water of Sight. When pictures were clear like that then Windy was pretty sure that was going to happen. A quiet query to the Author of Life confirmed that she had one less worry on her hands. It was now time to let the two hammer out the rest of the relationship on their own without her intervention.  
  
  
Lita was on the back porch when Windy returned Sage to the Mortal Realm. Windy smiled at the tall girl and continued into the house. Sage stopped on the steps and looked at the Jovian princess. Lita looked back at him and waited for him to speak.  
  
"Mak-" Sage's voice broke and he had to start again. In the house Windy silenced any giggles with a sharp look. "Makato, I was wondering if you would take a walk with me and we could talk about what happened in the past."  
  
Lita smiled, relieved. May be Sage was finally going to speak with her about what was going on between the two of them. "I would like that. Thank you." She joined him on the steps and they started for the woods. White Blaze looked at the ghost and Windy shook her head. The forest would tell her if there was any trouble; she could get help there in a flash. Literally.  
  
"This should be promising," said Serena. "I almost wish I could follow them and see what they have to say."  
  
"I don't think so, Angel. Sage would be furious that anyone followed him and heard what he said."  
  
"He's right, Serena," said Ryo. "Sage is a very private person in this time. His family taught him a lot on controlling himself and his emotions. He wouldn't want an audience."  
  
"Still..."  
  
"Serena, did you like it when the others watched you with-" Here Haruka spat. "-Darien on your dates? Give some consideration to your brother."  
  
"And have some consideration for my floors, Haruka," said Mia. "You keep that up and you will be mopping ALL the floors in this house."  
  
Michiru laughed lightly at her partner. "I think it best if you clean up your mess before Mia brings in reinforcement to back up her threat."  
  
Haruka grumbled, Haruka groaned, but Haruka did as she was told and was given a smile from the owner of the house.  
  
"This be a lesson to you, young Hotaru," said Windy. "Do as the head of the household says and you won't get into trouble."  
  
"Since when do you follow that sage advice?" asked Dais from his seat at the table.  
  
Windy smirked at the one eyed man. "Since I learned it at my parents knee. Or should I say over their knee. Spankings were given as deserved."  
  
People moved in and out of the kitchen, but Windy and Ryo stayed by the back door to watch for the Ronin of Halo and the Princess of Jupiter. It was getting close to dark when the two returned. Sage nodded to his friend and the ghost and went up the stairs to his room. Lita smiled at Ryo and hugged Windy.  
  
"Thank you. For everything," she whispered.  
  
"Your welcome," Windy murmured back.  
  
Lita went to her room, leaving Windy and Ryo sitting in the kitchen. "Did it go well?" asked Ryo.  
  
Windy nodded her head as she watched the stars take their places for the night. "Yes, it did. It went very well."  
  
Ryo gave Windy a grin and went in search of his girlfriend. Windy just watched the stars start their nightly dance for a bit before going to her own bed. Who knew what was going to happen the next day? 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 16  
  
Disclaimer: I own most of the stuff in my room, so that means that Ronin Warriors and Sailor Moon aren't mine. "Pilgrim" is by Enya so I don't own it either.  
  
I was corrected on how to spell Lita's Japanese name. It's "Makoto" not "Makato" as I spelled it in the past chapters. My apologies.  
  
Also, I don't usually put songs in my fics, but this just screamed to be put in for Kento.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Cale noted that the sun was coming up later and later as the season progressed and everyone got up to start the daily ritual of practice. Windy looked at the rising sun and then over at the calendar. She shook her head and Cale heard something about Day Light Savings time and October. He shrugged and let it go; the ghost muttered about a lot of stuff that didn't make sense to anyone from Japan.  
  
"Morning," greeted a bleary eyed Rowen. Serena was at his side smiling, but just as tired as her Life Bond.  
  
"It's nice to see the two of you up so early," said Luna. "How do you even get up? I know that I had a hard time getting Serena up for school."  
  
Hotaru and Lita smiled at each other. "Lady Kayura has something to do with that," said Hotaru.  
  
"She said that Windy gave her permission to use magic on her if she doesn't get up. What did she do to prove it?" asked Lita.  
  
"She gave me a nasty dream." Serena made a face. "I was with that jerk and he was kissing me. I won't go into details though; it was disgusting."  
  
Lady Kayura protested her innocence. "I just fired up your subconscious; I had nothing to do with the images in them."  
  
Anubis added his two cents. "She right, Serena. We can't really force anyone's mind. We just put the suggestion in and your mind does the rest."  
  
"Besides, going to bed early does help in you getting up early as well," added Lita.  
  
"May be we should try that on you more often, Rowen," teased Ryo. Then we wouldn't have to get the cold water."  
  
"Let me know," offered Anubis.  
  
"We'll keep it in mind," said Rowen flatly. He didn't really want to be subjected to what his beloved went through that morning; he had the second hand view through their link.  
  
"Are we going to practice or are we going to talk about ways for people to become alarm clocks?" asked Kento.  
  
"They're coming," assured Michiru as she and Haruka walked to the back door. "They have to have some fun in life."  
  
"Yeah, what happened to yours?" asked Cye as he looked at his friend.  
  
"Nothing," muttered Kento. "Just weird dreams."  
  
Windy turned from the kitchen sink where she was starting the coffee maker. "Weird dreams? What kind of weird dreams, Kento?"  
  
Kento just blew off the question. "It wasn't really anything. Let's get outside and practice. The sooner we start practice, the sooner we can get breakfast."  
  
Anubis, Lady Kayura, Sage, and Windy exchanged glances. Setsuna and Michiru looked at the four; there was something going on between the prince, the Guardian, and the two mystics. Michiru decided that she was going to see what her mirror said before she approached the foursome with her conclusions.  
  
"Then let us depart before Kento complains about us holding him back from his food," announced dais. Seckmet snickered and Cye smiled, Kento wasn't going to live this morning down for the day.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Windy was pleased at how Serena was coming along with her staff and to some point the glaive she was practicing with. Today Ryo and Sage were going to help the Moon Princess with a sword. Haruka was going to help, but Cale wanted a partner and Windy was going to practice with Hotaru. Michiru paired off with Cye to work on hand to hand with the slight Water Ronin and Setsuna worked with Kento.  
  
"Are you sure that Lady Pluto should be working with Kento? She might come away with broken bones," worried Cye.  
  
"She should be fine," assured Michiru. "She had to fight hard enemies before and still be able to guard the Time Gates. She should be able to work with your hard-headed friend."  
  
"Is there a reason that you two chose us for today's practice?"  
  
Michiru nodded as she blocked a fist coming at her face. "We were worried about Kento's statement on his dreams last night. Windy, the prince, and your two mystics seemed worried and I wanted to get a feel for your friend before I looked in my Mirror for answers."  
  
"What would your Mirror show you?"  
  
"It shows the truth. I can see what is real through illusion. I hope that it will show me what Kento dreamed last night."  
  
"Then you will take it to the Guardian?"  
  
Michiru nodded as she sent a foot towards Cye's unprotected side. He blocked the attack swiftly and went in for his own attack. It was more successful then Michiru's previous attempt and brought the Ocean Sailor to her knees. "You did well, shall we start again?"  
  
"I think that your friend wants to talk to you. She might have the information that you want before looking into your Mirror. I hope that it was just weird dreams."  
  
"So do I, so do I."  
  
The two traded partners and Setsuna told Michiru what she found out. "Kento said that he sometimes has these dreams that the earth is telling him something. He wasn't sure if they were real as they don't always come true, but then sometimes the actions don't reflect his dreams and the outcomes change."  
  
"But the other times?"  
  
"They are exactly as he dreams them." Setsuna looked at her former sparring partner as he tried to sweep Cye's feet from underneath him. It almost worked, but the Water Ronin was quick and back on his feet in the next move. "He only told Cye of a couple and once he told Ryo. That was when Ryo did something different and the outcome changed, but I think they both knew what could have happened. From what he told me, Sage is the mystic of the group other then Lord Anubis and Lady Kayura, so he doesn't feel comfortable telling what he has dreamed."  
  
"This must be one of them if he didn't want to say anything this morning. With Guardian Windy, Prince Sage, Lord Anubis, and Lady Kayura around, he would seem like he was trying to be part of the group."  
  
"Or trying to show his importance to make himself feel needed," said Setsuna.  
  
"Think that I should look in my Mirror?"  
  
Setsuna looked quickly around for any of the other mystics. Anubis caught her eye and nodded. A faint breeze whispered to the two women to do it and, surprisingly, Ryo also nodded his head. "Do it."  
  
The sparring pair stopped their fight and Michiru knelt down to pull out her Mirror from her subspace pocket. It reacted as soon as it was brought out. Michiru and Setsuna looked in the reflection as saw the Earth Ronin's dreamscape as he started the dream. It showed him sitting in the desert in a meditation pose while the sand blew around in the wind. Then the sand showed something like it was a reflective surface; it showed pictures of darkness and evil coming to stand on the earth's back. Then the sand formed into a figure of the one who any Outer Sailor would like to send their attack on- Prince Endymion. Then the Mirror dimmed to a quiet state once again.  
  
The two women looked at each other. "We have to tell the others," said Setsuna.  
  
"And we have to get Kento to tell us about this dream," said Michiru. "MY Mirror can only show some much. I think that Kento knows more then my Mirror is showing."  
  
The two women decided that at their next break they should talk to the four mystics and to see what they thought. Setsuna was sure that Windy would want to hear Kento's dream even if she had to beat it out of him. A look at the ghost showed that she was willing AND able to do as the Time Guardian thought.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"What did you find out?" asked Windy as the two Outer Sailors approached the small group.  
  
"Kento is getting dreams from his element, but we can only see the images," said Michiru. "As you said once, feelings and foreknowledge is also a factor in dreams like this."  
  
"So we have to get Kento to talk," said Lady Kayura. "How are going to do that?"  
  
"We could persuade him that any information is needed, even from unlikely sources," suggested Sage.  
  
"Or you and Rowen could take him out to the back porch and have a good sit-down with him," said Windy. "You still are his friends even if your pasts are stranger then fiction."  
  
"He might be feeling left out with all the attention being focused on bonds made in the Silver Millennium," said Anubis. "After all, Ryo, Rowen, and you are princes of that time and Lita has been a focus of disagreements for the past few days."  
  
"Cye doesn't seem to be having as much trouble as Kento seems to have," protested Sage.  
  
"That's because of his kanji," said Lady Kayura. "He trusts his instincts and those his armor says to. If Windy brought someone here, then she had a good reason and Cye waited to see what it was."  
  
"Nice to know someone trusts me in this house," muttered Windy. The others decided to ignore her comment and continue to convince Sage that he should talk to Kento. Sage finally conceded to the plan, but instead of having Rowen, Ryo was going to talk to Kento with him. Sage said that it was because Ryo and Kento were closer then Rowen was to Kento.  
  
"So it's settled then?" asked Michiru.  
  
"I'll talk to Kento after dinner tonight. I'll let Ryo know about our plans for tonight. He might be able to help with his persuasion."  
  
The break was call to an end and Rowen was pulled from his beloved. Seckmet made a comment about the two being attached at the lips and was faced with two angry Ronins and disapproving looks from all five of the Sailors. Seckmet decided to practice with a neutral party for the rest of the morning to preserve his long lifespan.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The day came and the day went. Practice was finished and household chores were done. Windy went out to the backyard and proved that she had picked up a few things as a swordswoman in other dimensions, much to the amazement or chagrin of others. After she finished her small demonstration, she went into the forest to have some "quality time with the Author and Perfecter of the Faith".  
  
"In other words," muttered Cale, "she wants out of this mad house for a while." He joined Seckmet in the doghouse for the rest of the day.  
  
Windy didn't come back for dinner and had left a message with Hotaru that she would get her own meal that night. Sage and Ryo looked at each other while the evening dishes were being cleared away and nodded.  
  
"Hey, Kento, let's go out on the porch," suggested Ryo. Ryo's invitation was a friendly suggestion, but his tone was one close to a command, as the Ronin leader would get. Kento decided to see what Ryo wanted.  
  
Sage was waiting for them on the swing as Ryo herded the Earth Ronin over to Sage's corner. "What did you want, Ryo?" asked the larger boy.  
  
"We wanted to ask you about your dream last night," said Sage. "Michiru and Setsuna told us what they saw in Michiru's Mirror about your dream."  
  
"Who said that you could go poking around in my business, Sage? Now my dreams aren't my own; if you want something you decide to ask one of the Sailors?"  
  
"Kento," Ryo said quietly. "If they hadn't come to them about it, would you have? I know that you have more dreams like that then you let on, but this one might be important. Please, Kento, tell us what you dreamed last night."  
  
"How do you know it's important? Why not just as one of the Sailors or may be Windy."  
  
"Because," said Sage, "Windy said that you would be a better source then anyone of us."  
  
"She also said that you were important, but she didn't need to tell us that. We already know."  
  
"Why? Why do you say that I'm important?"  
  
"Because you're our friend, Kento," said Sage.  
  
"What about the others?"  
  
"They are our friends, too, but you are one of the first for us." Ryo gave a chuckle and reminded Kento of their past. "Remember when we first met? The four of you had to save me from a Dynasty soldier."  
  
"Then you had to save us from sleeping in our armor's chosen places," said Kento. "Alright, I'll tell you."  
  
Ryo sat on the porch railing and Kento stayed standing at an angle with the two other Ronins.  
  
"I dreamt that I was meditating in the desert and the Earth decided to tell me something. It showed me pictures of Dynasty soldiers and the Nether Spirits gathering in the Mortal Realm. It said that the Earth groaned under the weight of the evil and the places it touched, the earth was corrupted. Then the sand showed me a picture of that creep, Prince Endymion. The Earth said that its old prince had been rejected for what he had done in the past." Kento blushed. "The Earth said that it liked me better anyway."  
  
The other two Ronins chuckled at the admission and waited for the rest of the dream.  
  
"When the sand showed me the idiot, I knew that we would be seeing him soon." Kento looked at his two friends. "I think that he will be coming tomorrow."  
  
"Then we better tell the others," said Ryo. "Want to come with us?"  
  
Kento shook his head. "I think I'll stay out here a little longer. I want to see if Windy will be coming back before nightfall."  
  
Ryo nodded and gave him quick thanks. Sage stood and faced his Chinese friend. "Thank you for telling us Kento. I'm sorry we had to force it out of you, but, please, next time tell us if you have a dream like that."  
  
"Sometimes they don't come out as I dream them."  
  
"Then the course was changed from what you had been warned of. My sister and I can tell you that not even destiny can always be planned out in stone." Sage left the Earth Ronin on the back porch and joined his leader in telling the others about the possible attack the next day.  
  
  
Pilgrim, how you journey  
on the road you chose  
to find out where the winds die  
and where the stories go.  
All days come from one day  
that must you must know,  
you cannot change what's over  
but only where you go.  
  
  
Kento looked up at the music and watched as Windy left the forest. She continued the song as she walked and looked only at him.  
  
  
One way leads to diamonds,  
one way leads to gold,  
another leads you only  
to everything you're told.  
In your heart you wonder  
which of these is true;  
the road that leads to nowhere,  
the road that leads to you.  
  
Will you find the answer  
in all you say and do?  
Will you find the answer  
in you?  
  
  
Windy had reached the porch steps and stopped. She continued to sing and look at the Ronin, provoking thoughts in his head about how he handled himself since the coming of the Sailors.  
  
  
Each heart is a pilgrim,  
each one wants to know  
the reason why the winds die  
and where the stories go.  
Pilgrim, in your journey  
you may travel far,  
for pilgrim it's a long way  
to find out who you are...  
  
Pilgrim, it's a long way  
to find out who you are...  
  
Pilgrim, it's a long way  
to find out who you are...  
  
  
Windy mounted the steps. "Think about it," was all she said before going into the house. Kento knew that she knew they were going to have visitors tomorrow. 


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 17  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors, then I wouldn't be working at a small hospital and getting put on stand by when the census is low. Since I DO work in a small hospital and I DO get put on stand by due to low census, I don't own the two anime. Now what am I going to do for Christmas money?  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Windy didn't sleep that night. She did catch catnaps, but she was awake for the most part waiting for a night attack. Every couple of hours she would look in on the sleeping warriors before checking the perimeter of the house. She hoped that the protection she raised around the house could keep Badamon or Prince Endymon out, but she wasn't so sure about Chaos. That one was just as powerful as she was and she was only as good as the power she used from the Creator. Thus her night was broken into ghosting into rooms and small naps in between.  
  
Morning found the ghost waiting with the sunrise and the warriors who had a fitful sleep as she had a short one. They came down without the usual revelry and Mia went directly into the kitchen to start breakfast. Windy looked at the warriors and nodded her head. They would be going out to practice that morning; it would help them keep an eye out for what the Earth had warned Kento about.  
  
"Who will Serena be working with this morning?" asked Sage.  
  
"I'll work with her," said Haruka. "I'll see what you boys taught her and help her concentrate on the single sword."  
  
"Will you be helping, Guardian?" asked Serena.  
  
Windy shrugged. "I can if Haruka doesn't mind. She can watch you while you and I fight to see what you need to work on."  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Haruka.  
  
Rowen gave his life bond a quick kiss and Ryo urged Sage to say something to Lita. It took a fiery look from the Ronin leader, but Sage did greet Lita. Windy absently noted that she was walking on a cloud after that greeting until she finally settled down to a fight with Lady Kayura. Windy wasn't the only one who noticed.  
  
"That made her day," said Luna as she stepped out to speak with Serena.  
  
Haruka bowed to the Lunar Guardian and said, "We'll leave you to your conference, Luna. Would you mind practicing with me for a while Windy?"  
  
The ghost smirked at the Wind Sailor. "It would be my pleasure." The two left to give the Princess and her advisor some privacy, but be close enough to prevent any problems.  
  
"Do you get the impression that those two might get a little rough in practice?" asked Serena.  
  
The Lunar cat watched the two start their practice. "I would say that was a definite yes."  
  
The two turned from the dangerous fight between the experienced fighters and Serena asked, "What was it you wanted to tell me?"  
  
Luna looked down. "Artimas and I would like to say that it has been a pleasure to work with you. We are very concerned that something will happen and we want to assure you that we will do anything in our power to help protect you."  
  
"What about Miss. Mia? Ryo would be upset if something should happen to her."  
  
"We had a talk with the Lady and found that she isn't just a archivist. She does know how to defend herself a little better since the Wars your brother and beloved were in. She says not to worry about her if something should happen to you."  
  
Serena shook her head. "If something does happen, then at least one of you should stay with her. I'll not hurt Sage, Rowen, or Ryo with the loss of a good friend."  
  
Luna bowed to her princess. "As you wish, Artimas and I will talk something out with the Lady."  
  
Serena gave her sweet smile to her feline friend and thanked her. The Lunar cat left Serena to her practice and joined her partner and hostess in the kitchen. They would work out their own plan of defense.  
  
"Are you finished with Luna?" asked Haruka.  
  
"Yes, I'm ready whenever you are."  
  
"Then let us begin," said Windy. "Defend yourself."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
By the first break, Haruka was satisfied with how well Serena was progressing. Sage had stopped by to watch his sister's training and said that she was getting better. "She seems to be remembering more," commented Ryo as he passed the group.  
  
"For that, I'm glad," added Rowen. "I don't want my half brother to do something to her without her leaving a mark on him."  
  
"She isn't the meek princess she was, Rowen," said Windy. "She has learned to be true to herself. Her mother didn't let her do that before in hopes of keeping the kingdom from falling around her ears. Serena will leave marks before Endymon will be able to do much to her."  
  
"What about her magic?" asked Sage. "Endymon won't be honorable about any fight they get into."  
  
"The Silver Crystal will protect her against that. It is more powerful then it has let on."  
  
"Does she know this?" asked Rowen.  
  
Windy shook her head. "The best way to keep it from him was to hide it. The Crystal knew and it never did anything that powerful in his alert presence."  
  
"You know, if it wasn't that our armors were like the Crystal, I would say that you were crazy for saying an inanimate object was sentient to feelings and thoughts," said Ryo.  
  
Windy gave a mischievous look. "Who says I'm not crazy. Talk to my family sometime. They can tell you how crazy I really am." The ghost walked off with a chuckle at the expense of the uncertain looks the three Ronins were giving her.  
  
"That was scary," said Sage. The other two nodded.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Practice was about to start again when Windy went stiff and started to shine a soft glow around her like an aurora. She narrowed her eyes and looked into the forest. "We have company coming," she hissed.  
  
Lady Kayura felt the Gate to the Nether Realm open and Anubis felt the dark power of Badamon and his Spirits start to flood the area. "He's bringing help," said the auburn haired man. "Badamon is coming."  
  
"I thought that he couldn't be on the Mortal Plane without help," said Kento.  
  
"He might be getting help from Chaos," said Setsuna.  
  
"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" asked Haruka.  
  
Full armors were called and powers were brought to a readied state as the first of the attackers showed themselves. Armor bearers alternated with Sailors while Rowen stayed near his beloved. Windy stood near Lita as she inched closer to Sage.  
  
"I will protect them this time," she had said to Windy the night before. "This time I will not fail."  
  
"And I will help you Makoto Lita," whispered the ghost. "This time, you will keep your personal vow and I will see you happy for once. Both of you."  
  
Sage noticed that Sailor Jupiter was guarding his right side. "Are you sure that you want to be there?" he asked the girl.  
  
Sailor Jupiter straightened her back and looked at her prince. "I vowed to protect the princess and that includes you. I will not go back on my word. Not even if you forced me to."  
  
The bearer of Halo nodded his head. "As you wish."  
  
Any other talk was pushed aside as the Dynasty soldiers started their attack. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune started the counter attack with the calling of their powers. Kento and Cale joined the two as they called out their armor's attacks against the empty armors. Windy started to pick off the Nether Spirits that started to come into the area with a hastily conjured bow and Rowen joined her with his own mystic bow. The others started to attack the fast approaching armors, but they all kept an eye out for the other leader of the forces.  
  
Kento growled and Windy hissed in anger as they felt the ex Earth Prince announce his presence of the world that rejected him. He calmly walked out the house with Mia held at knifepoint and ordered the fight to cease.  
  
"Waiting for me?" asked the haughty prince. "I'm touched."  
  
"Yeah, we were waiting," growled Kento. "Waiting to put something in your chest."  
  
"That would be my job, Kento," said Rowen. "He's the one who caused me and Serena to most trouble."  
  
"Ah, my little half brother. Trying to take what is mine, Rowen? Too bad that she was promised to me before you even came along to turn her head. I will have to teach her obedience when we are married."  
  
"With a stick, most likely," snorted Sage. "You touch one hair on my sister's head and I'll help Rowen create an opening for the new Earth prince."  
  
"Such language from my soon to be brother-in-law," tsked Endymon. "You won't feel that way when your niece is born."  
  
"And raised just like you," spat Windy. "A spoiled brat with no sense of responsibility and more arrogance then should be allowed in any person."  
  
"Such language from the 'Diplomat' to the Moon let alone while I have a hostage. From the look one Prince Ryo's face, I would say that she is very important to him. Will you cause him grief by forcing me to take away this woman?"  
  
"How about you let Mia go before you find that there are more warriors then you think," said Serena icily.  
  
"And what would you be talking about, Wife?" sneered Endymon.  
  
"The princess would be talking about us," said a quiet male voice.  
  
"And she isn't your wife or betrothed," spat an equally quiet female voice.  
  
"Endymon, look out behind you, fool," screeched Badamon.  
  
"That will be quite enough from you," said Windy. She called the very light of the sun and creation and sent it to the lead Nether Spirit. This time there wouldn't be any bringing him back as the force was more than even the balefire Ryo used with the Inferno armor.  
  
As Windy took out one annoying pest, Luna ran up behind Endymon in her feline form and jumped on his back. She was liberal with her claws as she climbed her way up to his head and face. Endymon couldn't hold Mia with the knife as he tried to swipe Luna off his head. Mia took this chance and stamped on his instep. He let her go with a howl as Luna scratched his face and Artimas in human form stabbed him in the side with his sword.  
  
"Get them! Attack," yelled Endymon as he tried to deal with the loss of his prisoner and the bleeding caused by Artimas' sword.  
  
Lita was ready for that order and sent an Oak Evolution in the direction of the soldiers trying to sneak up on Sailor Moon. "That is for the years of misery that you caused Serena," she muttered.  
  
"Why, Sailor Jupiter. You fight with the one that you denounced only a month ago?" asked a serpentine hiss. "I thought that she wasn't your princess. I thought that she wasn't what you remembered."  
  
Few knew whom that voice belonged to. Endymon smirked as he straightened in the presence of his Master's voice and the Dynasty soldiers halted in their advance. Serena paled and hid in the comfort of Rowen's arms as he held her close to him in protection. The four Outer Sailors went into a fighting stance, looking around for the source of that voice. The other Ronins and Seasonals took this as a cue to do the same, but they didn't know what they were looking for. Lita straightened as well, but it was in fury at her words being thrown back into her face. Windy stood, ready for anything, and waited. One more thing had to be done before the final battle could be finished.  
  
"I was wrong," she spat out. "I didn't know my full memories, only what was given to me by a dead Queen hoping to fulfill a wish she couldn't have in her life. Once I was asked where my planet and I would stand in the Silver Millennium, with the falling Moon or with the rebelling planets. I will answer now, as I didn't before. I WILL STAND WITH THE MOON PRINCESS AND HER BROTHER, THE SUN PRINCE!"  
  
"It has been noted and now the last vow is made," whispered Windy. She smiled grimly into the air and repeated what she said to the four winds in a loud, triumphant voice. "You have lost!"  
  
"Not yet, Windwalker," smirked Endymon. "You may have gotten rid of Badamon for your Charges, but you can't do anything to me or Chaos."  
  
"That's because, oh arrogant one, I don't need to," returned Windy. "They have the power to end you and put Chaos back where it belongs."  
  
"We shall see," sneered the dark prince. He left in a dark light as the last of the Dynasty soldiers started their last attack.  
  
Without the aid of the prince or Badamon, the soldiers were easier to kill. Windy stayed close to Mia so Ryo could concentrate on the fight before him and the two Lunar cats joined her in the vigilant watch. When the last soldier crumbled into a pile of armor and dust, the weary warriors let their power return to its resting place.  
  
"He will be back," said Rowen flatly.  
  
"We know, Ro," said Kento. "And we'll help you keep Serena away from him."  
  
Ryo approached Mia and Windy. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.  
  
"I'm fine Ryo. Between his arrogance and Luna and Artimas, I'm perfectly fine."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"She's sure, Wildfire," yelled Seckmet. "Just kiss her already."  
  
Ryo threw Seckmet a dirty look, but he did kiss Mia. Rowen thought that was a good idea and gave Serena one as well. Hugs were passed between good friends in the relief that everyone came away with minor damage and everyone together. Serena felt relief that Chaos hadn't taken anybody from her this time.  
  
Lita was kneeling on the ground looking down when Sage approached her. "You going to be alright?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said, not looking up.  
  
Sage placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're going to be fine?" he asked again.  
  
Lita looked up. Tears were streaming down her face, but a small smile graced her lips. "Yeah, I'm sure."  
  
Sage returned her smile. "That's good. I'm glad to have a friend like you on my side."  
  
Sage left to see if Mia was going to be as fine as she said and give her a hug himself. Lita smiled at his retreating back. It was enough to rival the sun breaking through the clouds that gathered from the attack. Off to the side Windy and Setsuna shared another Mona Lisa smile. They were finally starting to get together.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
You have no idea how much I wanted to stop at the part where Chaos challenged Lita. I kept going because I figured that you would kill me for leaving you at that cliffhanger.  
  
Rocky 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 18  
  
Disclaimer: No one gave me Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon for my birthday in October and I don't see it in my mail when I get it. I guess that Sunrise and Cloverwave haven't moved to my house.  
  
Sorry it took so long to write, but I had something else to do and it got crazy at the hospital. I think the doctors were making up for the low census during October.  
  
************  
  
Seckmet scowled as he watched the person next to him put down the trump card on the strange game he was asked to play. "How did I let you talk me into playing this game?" he asked petulantly.  
  
"Because you said that you were bored," said his partner sitting across the table from him. "Windy just offered to help you relieve that boredom."  
  
"It is your own fault for being here," added Hotaru. She watched as her partner in the game, Windy, threw out the first card for the next hand. It was an ace of hearts and she had no hearts to throw; she studied the cards left in her hand to see what she could give up easily.  
  
"What is the name of this game again?" asked Anubis as he watched the three others give disgusted looks at the silent ghost. She just sat in her place between Seckmet and Cye to see if she would be trumped in this hand.  
  
"It's called Euchre. It was popular when I went to college in the upper peninsula of Michigan."  
  
"When did you go to college?" asked Rowen as he read on the couch. He was alone for once as his life bond was with Mia and Lady Kayura in town shopping. He smiled at the memory of Sage finding out that it was his turn to go with the ladies on this trip. If it wasn't for Lita going, Rowen thought that he would have hit the ceiling. The smile grew wider at the thought of the Jovian princess finally getting to his best friend.  
  
"After I died. I figured that it would be good if I got some outside skills before I really started to do my assignments. I have a license to practice as a register nurse in the state of Michigan actually. It took awhile to pay back my debts though." Windy frowned as she lost the hand to Cye when he pulled the opposite jack to the trump suit.  
  
"I don't know if I would want you to take care of me then," muttered Seckmet. "Your bedside manner is terrible."  
  
"That's because you are a troublesome patient," shot back Windy. "I am very nice to my patients when I work. I have even gotten compliments on my care for them."  
  
"They must have been high on the morphine," returned Seckmet.  
  
Windy snickered at him. "Naw, they were quite aware of person, place, and time. It was after I gave them their pain shots that they started to propose marriage. (An: It doesn't really happen, I'm trying to be funny here.)"  
  
"Now there's a picture for you," laughed Rowen. "Windy in one of those white dresses and cap. How do you work in them?"  
  
Windy wrinkled her nose. "I don't. The dress code is relaxed so nurses can wear colored scrubs. I kinda enjoy it."  
  
Anubis looked over at the clock. "When are they supposed to come back?"  
  
"This is suppose therapy for Mia and Serena; it could take a while."  
  
"In other words, we're going to owe Sage for this, aren't we?" asked Rowen.  
  
Windy looked at the cards in the current hand. "Yes, we will. Big time." She threw a higher card on the current suit playing and won that hand. "We won this trick Hotaru." The small girl marked the point on her scoreboard while Cye started to shuffle the cards for the next game.  
  
Anubis shook his head as he joined Rowen on the couch. "I don't think that I'll ever understand that game," he groused.  
  
"As my parents told me, 'You have to play the game to understand it'," said Windy. "How about in the next game I'll have you play while I watch you."  
  
"How about you come and help us bring all these bags in," called Sage from the door. "There are several more waiting in the car."  
  
Rowen and Anubis stood up from the couch. Seckmet and Cye joined the two to help with the migration of the bags from Mia's car into the house. Hotaru gathered the cards together to put them away and Windy went to see how the rest of the unwilling participants were doing on getting through the door.  
  
"That is the last time I let any woman talk me into coming shopping with them," complained Dais.  
  
"Here, here," said Cale as he stumbled into the house with a large package. "Where do they get that energy?"  
  
"I think it has something to do with being a woman in a mall," said Ryo as he carried a few more bags.  
  
"Are you sorry that you came?" asked Mia as she followed him in.  
  
Ryo is a survivor; he knows when to keep his mouth shut even if it gets him ragged on by his other friends. He just shook his head and went to put the bags away. He knew there were grins on a few of his friends' faces and that he will be sorry for that later. Right now, he didn't want Mia upset.  
  
"I think the Mars prince will do well with the Lady Mia," noted Artimas as he sat on the stairs watching the goings on in the living room.  
  
"Yes, I think that he knows the careful art of diplomacy; the best defense against irritable people," agreed Windy.  
  
"Talking from experience?" asked Luna.  
  
"Yep. Can you imagine how hard it is to work in a "man's world" when women don't really go around in leather armor and fight in mercenary companies?"  
  
"No and we don't think we want to," said the two Lunar Guardians.  
  
Windy nodded her head in agreement to what they said as she closed the door behind that last person bringing in shopping bags from the grocery store. "Time to get to work on putting all this away," she sighed. "I'll see you later." The ghost followed the group into the kitchen and started the long process. She thought that sometimes she should get Kento to do the shopping with supervision to show him what everyone else went through.  
  
************  
  
It was late evening when Haruka and Michiru found the ghost after they had returned from their time alone. Windy was pacing around the outside of the house, muttering something under her breath. The duo waited until she was done before starting to talk to her.  
  
"Making sure we don't get unexpected visitors in the night?" asked Michiru.  
  
"Hopefully," said Windy. "I don't know what would happen if Chaos decided to come."  
  
"Give you a reason to allow us to push it back for the last time," said Haruka.  
  
"I would be careful about that if I were you," said Windy. "You do remember what happened the last time you faced Chaos, don't you?"  
  
The pair winced at the memory. That wasn't one of their shining moments in their past. They were fortunate that their princess forgave them for that deception and Setsuna and Hotaru forgave them for the attack they had to do on them.  
  
"Chaos will do anything to twist what is going around to use it to its own designs. If it thinks that it could use you again, then it will do anything. You must trust in your prince and princess as well as the others. I can't do anything but help you after this." Windy looked up into the night sky and sighed. "It has been taken out of my hands and isn't considered my fight now. I'm just the representative of the force Chaos opposes."  
  
"But you will at least help," said Haruka. "You can help us keep our perspective on what we have to do."  
  
Windy smiled. "That I can do. Expect large boards to be applied to your heads if necessary."  
  
Haruka and Michiru gave the ghost startled looks, but returned the smile that was spread across Windy's face. They still had to get used to her sense of humor.  
  
"We should go in. The others are probably getting worried about where we are," said Michiru.  
  
"Too bad they couldn't survive for a little while longer," said Haruka in a silky voice. She looked over Michiru's shoulder to smirk at Seckmet. He stood on the porch with a mouth hanging open at the innuendo. Michiru saw the look and turned to see the now blushing warlord on the porch looking uncomfortable.  
  
"You should stop teasing them, Haruka," she chided. "It's not nice to bait our fellow tenants." She followed the chuckling Windy into the house and smiled at the unfortunate butt of Haruka's joke.  
  
"That will be the day, Michiru," said Windy. "I think that she likes to bait them." The two laughed and closed the door to the outside.  
  
"Are you really..?"  
  
"That is none of your business," said Haruka.  
  
Seckmet shrugged and went back in. Left alone, Haruka stared into the sky. She planned to keep Chaos from doing what it did last time. Her princess deserved happiness. She finally followed the others into the house for the night.  
  
************  
  
The night was still and the residents of the Koji mansion slept the sleep of the just. Inside the ghost who raised the protections around the house slept, but shifted when her unconscious mind felt a brush against the ward around the house. When it didn't feel it again, the ghost settled again.  
  
In the kitchen White Blaze raised his head at the familiar smell coming from beyond the house. He debated on whether to wake his human to let him out, but the accompanying smell of a known enemy who held his human's chosen mate as hostage floated in with the sent. White Blaze slowly rose to his feet and paced through the house. He didn't want a repeat of what happened before.  
  
The white tiger saw that the house was secure on the inside on the main floor so he padded up the stairs to see if there were any places for the challenger to get into. When he passed the door to the Windwalker's, Time Guardian's, and Ancient's room. Inside he heard the stirring of a body and saw the door open.  
  
"So you were warned too?" The quiet voice floated in the darkness, but the cat saw the ghost walk quietly down the hall. She paused at the door where his human and his friends were sleeping then at the next door where the blonde new comer slept. When the ghost was satisfied that all were safe, she crept down the stairs to the kitchen. White Blaze followed her to see what was going to happen next.  
  
Windy opened the door and stepped out on the back porch. The moon brightened night showed a dark heap just outside of the ward she had cast earlier in the evening. Fifty yards away and closer to the woods another dark figure was standing. A quick flare showed a smirking smile on the dark prince's face as he watched the ghost walk down the steps toward the heap.  
  
Windy saw that the heap was a dead body. White Blaze licked his chops at the thought of venison, but stayed where he was. Windy had raised her hand to warn him back and he wasn't sure if it was safe to eat.  
  
"Is this a warning, oh dark prince? If it is, then it is a poor one," mocked the Windwalker quietly. "A better warning would have been a bigger deer, not one that looks like a Florida Key Deer."  
  
"And you would know of such things?" sneered Endymion. "I have no time to argue with you now. My Master wants me to give you the warning and return. Do what you see fit with it."  
  
"How about shoving it-" muttered Windy as she watched the prince disappear. Windy looked back down at the deer carcass. She didn't trust the prince and she knew that White Blaze wanted to tear into the body, but she didn't know if it was poisoned with anything. Windy looked back at the tiger. "How about I get you one that I _know_ is safe and we burn this one?"  
  
White Blaze shrugged. He didn't mind as long as he got venison; the ghost had better keep her promise though.  
  
The two white beings watched as fire started to lick around the dead animal then flash into a raging inferno for a minute. The inferno died down, leaving the grass charred and ashes where the deer had been. "I'll get you that deer tomorrow, I promise."  
White Blaze nodded his head and the two returned to the house.  
  
************  
  
The next morning, cooler heads were told of the midnight visit.  
  
"Endymion is getting to be a royal pain in the-"  
  
"Language, Sage," cautioned Michiru. "There are children present."  
  
Hotaru looked up from the table. "I've heard worse from Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama."  
  
Michiru raised an eyebrow. She and Setsuna traded a look that promised dire consequences for their friend after everything was said and done.  
  
"It probably was a good thing you did put those wards up," commented Mia as she wove her fingers with Ryo's. "I don't think I want to know what would happen if he got in again."  
  
"Take Serena," muttered Rowen bitterly. "He's not going to stop just because of a ward, no matter how powerful it is."  
  
Windy nodded her head. "He does have a point. He could have used his power to force his way in."  
  
"But that would have had you up and armed the first time he tried," said Lady Kayura. "Why did he even kill that deer?"  
  
"To give us a warning, probably," said Cye.  
  
"Or to scare using psychological warfare," added Anubis.  
  
"So what do we do about it?" asked Ryo.  
  
"We go on as if nothing happened," said Setsuna. "He may come again and try to scare us some more."  
  
"Or try to take Serena," commented Sage. "One way or the other, he will be coming back."  
  
"When is the key though. And what will he be doing when he gets here," said Hotaru.  
  
"Is there any way either of you could see when he was going to pop up next?" asked Cye to Windy and Setsuna.  
  
Setsuna shook her head and Windy frowned. "I don't think so. At best I get warning before something happens or on a need to know basis. The Powers That Be don't like to let the future be seen too much."  
  
"So we warn the others and stay on guard," said Sage.  
  
"Just like in the wars with Tulpa," added Ryo.  
  
"Or in our wars," said Hotaru.  
  
"God help us," muttered Mia.  
  
"He is, Mia, He is."  
  
The meeting was adjourned and the members went out to talk with the absent friends. Windy looked out the kitchen window and sighed. Now they had to start the worst part of war. The waiting; always the waiting. 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 19  
  
Disclaimer: It's been over a year and I still don't have ownership of Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon.  
  
To all who have stuck with me so far: THANK YOU!! The nice comments are greatly appreciated.  
  
  
Windy was good on her word to White Blaze and she got him the deer she promised. Several people in the group living in the house looked a little green when she brought home the field dressed deer, but the tiger was all around joyous. Mia only thought of the fact that at least he wouldn't need to be fed that night.  
  
************  
  
Setsuna sat with her adopted daughter watching the bearers of Hardrock and the Summer armors play a game on the television when they both decided to go talk with the Ancient and their landlady. Both were in the library looking up more information on Mia's computer about the armors and trying to figure out how the reincarnated souls managed to receive them.  
  
"You would think that it had something to do with what was happening in the Silver Millennium," pondered Mia as she typed in another search.  
  
"That is a possibility," said Setsuna as she stepped into the room. "Power tends to draw to power."  
  
"And the princes had power of their own before being encased in the power of the Silver Crystal," added Hotaru.  
  
"So, why did we get brought here?" asked Lady Kayura.  
  
"Because you defended the Earth prince the princess loved and the Mars prince. You didn't have to do it, but you took it up as your sworn duty," answered Setsuna.  
  
"And I suspect that the Ancient knew that you were special," added Mia. "Or the armors did and chose you for that reason."  
  
"I'm just glad that we have help," said Hotaru. "I didn't like going against Chaos the last time. If we had to do it alone this time without the others to help, then I don't think we would be coming back, especially the princess."  
  
"What happened the last time you faced Chaos?" asked Lady Kayura.  
  
"Every one of us lost our star seeds except for the visiting Sailor Soldiers and the princess. The princess fought Chaos back with everything she had," said Hotaru. "It was her lonely call that brought us back from where we were." The Sailor of Death and Rebirth looked sad. "The princess has been in contact with death too many times. I think that if she faced it one more time, she won't come back."  
  
"I think I agree with you on that one," Lady Kayura nodded.  
  
"A question," asked Mia, "what is a 'star seed'?"  
  
"It's what makes us Sailor Soldiers," answered Setsuna. "It is a part of the planet we serve and it connects us to it."  
  
"Ah, that answers my question."  
  
"Is there anything else that you are trying to find, Miss Mia?" asked Hotaru.  
  
"Not really," Mia answered absently as she started to look through her computer programs again. "I just want to get some of the things my grandfather had put in copied and looked over." She turned and smiled apologetically to the three in the room with her. "I'm sorry for being such a rotten hostess."  
  
Lady Kayura smiled at her friend. "I understand. If anything, I may as for a copy for the Dynasty when we ever get back. It may be helpful if we ever have to fight again."  
  
"Let's hope that never happens," said Hotaru. "I don't think any of us could stand another war."  
  
************  
  
Rowen was content. After the first few weeks of he and his life bond always being together, they finally decided that neither one was going to disappear on the other. Serena was more confidant and Rowen a little more open about some of his views. Right now he knew that his love was in the kitchen with Cye, Lita, and Windy trying to learn how to cook. From the sounds of the comments the two Outer partners and three of the four Seasonals were acting out the part of the peanut gallery. The surprised "AHH!" and the muffled laughing "Opps" told Rowen that the peanut gallery had been dealt with in a comical manner. Seckmet and Cale decided to retreat before something else happened.  
  
"Those four are dangerous in the kitchen," complained Seckmet.  
  
"Who are?" asked Rowen.  
  
"Torrent, the two princesses, and especially the Lady Guardian," answered Cale.  
  
"I'M NOT A LADY!" was yelled out from the kitchen.  
  
"You can say that again," muttered Seckmet.  
  
"I HEARD THAT!"  
  
"I wonder if you should start running now my friend," said Rowen. "You may not want to know what she will do about that comment."  
  
"I'll keep it in mind, Strata."  
  
"So what are you doing so far from your life bond, Strata?" asked Cale.  
  
"Reading."  
  
"We kinda saw that; we were wondering why you weren't in there helping Serena," said Seckmet.  
  
"Because Cye threatened great bodily harm if I tried to go in while he was working with Serena. I don't think he still trusts me in the kitchen after my last attempt."  
  
"What happened?" asked the interested Seasonals.  
  
"I almost blew up the microwave," he answered sheepishly. "If Ryo hadn't come in, I might have. Cye almost blew up though; it was his good pan that was in it." The two were on the floor laughing by the time he was done relating the tale. "I don't think it was that funny."  
  
"I think that they are relieved that there are more then just them who can't cook," said Anubis as he came into the room. He looked over to his friends on the floor. "They had a hard time in the kitchen as well. Lady Kayura almost banished them for a few of their fiascos."  
  
"Oh. That's comforting." Rowen returned to his book.  
  
Since they couldn't pick on the Ronin any more and it was open season on any and all commentators in the kitchen the two decided that they should find something else to do. It ended up in them helping Ryo and Sage with the laundry, seeing as they were helping generate the larger loads.  
  
"I can't believe that we are doing this," muttered Seckmet.  
  
"Welcome to the 21st century," said Sage. "We all do something around the house and now you can help."  
  
There was some talk of injustice, but plans for mutiny were left just as unvoiced plans.  
  
************  
  
Luna and Artimas were happy that their charge was finally happier then when she had been in the other dimension. Serena had acted bubbly, but she had a hidden pain that they couldn't ease. With the Guardian bringing them all to this other dimension, she had perked up even with the threat of another war. But they knew that the quiet wasn't going to last. Even their new tiger friend knew that trouble was on the way. They were worried when they had been told of the "warning" left on the lawn that morning. Now they had to know what the Guardian was going to do.  
  
It took some time, but they did find Windy alone for once during the day. Well, she wasn't really alone, but seeing how White Blaze was as worried as they were, the lunar cats thought he should hear this as well.  
  
"Guardian, can we speak with you?" asked Artimas.  
  
"What do you want to know?" asked Windy as she opened her eyes from the relaxed position against the tiger's side.  
  
"We were wondering if we were going to have to prepare the Sailors for an attack or if we are going to wait for Chaos to come for us," said Luna.  
  
"That depends," answered the ghost.  
  
"On what?" asked Artimas.  
  
"On if the others want to wait or if they want to force an attack. It could go either way."  
  
"And we could lose if we stay on defensive just as well as if we were defeated in an offensive strike," said Artimas.  
  
"True," nodded Windy. "But we aren't the ones who are going to fight. The armor bearers and the Sailor Soldiers are going to do the fighting. You will be here protecting the Lady Mia and I won't have as much say in the battle."  
  
"Will you be able to fight though?" asked Luna, in fear for Serena.  
  
"Oh, I will be fighting, but I won't be able to do anything against Endymion or Chaos. They will have to be dealt with by the ones who are defending the world. I just make sure that they come out a little less battered in the end." The ghost sighed and looked out to the woods. "I get tired sometimes, you know that? I have been doing this for so long and yet if I told you the date of my death, you would say that it hasn't been that long." She gave a quiet laugh. "I better quit before I get myself depressed." Windy looked back at the three cats. "And you have humans to return to. I know that Serena would like to talk to you two and Ryo would like to see you right now, White Blaze. I think they know the choice as well as we do."  
  
"Thank you, Guardian," bowed the lunar cats. They took their leave to find their princess and Windy allowed White Blaze to find his human.  
  
When they had left, another black cat came out of the shadows to sit on Windy's lap. The ghost started to pet the newcomer and mused, "They will have to make a decision soon, Missy. I'm just afraid that they will have to fight in enemy territory like their other fights." She sighed once again and buried her face in the cat's fur. "I wish that this could have been avoided, but I guess that Murphy's Law isn't done with them yet." Windy let the cat go and stood up. "I should go see just what they plan on doing and what I should get ready for."  
  
The cat gave a meow and slid back into the shadows. Windy took what little comfort from her old friend that she could and went to see if they were going to wait or decide that Endymion and Chaos needed to be surprised for once. She didn't look forward to either decision.  
  
************  
  
Ryo was reminded of the Dynasty wars once again as everyone had gathered to talk about what should be done next. He noted that Windy came in and sat in a corner to listen without disturbing the proceeding and that she looked tired. It was her eyes that showed the fatigue that weighed down on her, but she was willing to sit and wait for her advice to be asked for and given.  
  
"We should go in," argued Haruka. "They have been giving us threats and almost took the princess on two occasions."  
  
"But if we go into the Dynasty, we will be making it even easier for Endymion and Chaos to get what they want," argued back Lita. "I had to watch Serena die too many times to do that one more time."  
  
"How do you think we feel?" asked Cye. "We almost lost Ryo when he stopped Tulpa this last time we fought him. If it wasn't for the Jewel of Life, then we would have lost him for good."  
  
"You almost lost the Mars prince?" asked Michiru, startled. Even the other Sailors looked surprised at the thought of losing the last loyal royalty from Mars.  
  
Ryo got uncomfortable at the idea and the stares. "Yeah, but I was brought back. Don't worry about it."  
  
"But we do," said Rowen. "If you and Serena have the same problem of having to die, then what would we do?"  
  
"Bury three bodies," commented Windy. "Or four or five depending on how Sage and Lita take it." Her callous remark brought attention to her. "You are looking at the 'what if's' and 'could be's'. You need to look at what we've got right now and plan with what we have. Can we afford a direct attack on the Nether Realm? Can we stay right where we are and wait more? What will the costs be if we do either one?"  
  
"Wouldn't the costs be in the realm of 'what if ' and could be'?" asked Kento. "Because they sound like it to me."  
  
"No," answered Anubis. "It looks at what would happen if we don't or if we do something. If we attacked, how would we fair in the battle and what could happen to the Mortal Realm while we were gone? If we stayed and waited for Chaos to attack, would we be ready or would we have exhausted ourselves with worry? That is what she is pushing us to."  
  
"Okay, what would happen if we decided to attack Chaos and Endymion?" asked Sage.  
  
"We would have the upper hand for a while due to the surprise of the attack," said Cale. "But we would lose that advantage as soon as the first regiment of soldiers didn't report back."  
  
"And if we stayed here?" asked Serena.  
  
"There is a good possibility that Endymion could come back and this time succeed in taking you away from us," said Setsuna. "We would have to be on guard all the time."  
  
"And that exhausts soldiers quicker then fighting," said Dais.  
  
"Then we will have to attack," said Lita quietly.  
  
"It looks like it," said Serena sadly. She buried her head in her arms on the table. "I don't want to fight again."  
  
"None of us do, kitten," said Haruka. "But if we want to keep our peace, we will have to defend it sometimes."  
  
"And that means that we should get ready for battle now," said Lady Kayura. "If what we were told those few weeks ago stayed the same, then the Nether Realm won't be friendly."  
  
"No," agreed Ryo. "If they're anything like Tulpa, then it won't be." He quietly sighed and pet White Blaze. They both looked in the corner that Windy sat in. She was impassive, but her eyes betrayed the sadness she felt. She didn't want to do this either. He wondered if any of them really wanted to. 


	20. Chapter Twenty

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 20  
  
Disclaimer: I am American, not Japanese. Thus I don't own the original rights to Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors. I am a single person, not a corporation. Thus I don't own the dubbed rights to the Americanized version of Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors.  
  
There is some Endymion "bashing". What would you say about your enemy?  
  
Anubis and Lady Kayura stood in the place where the gate to the Nether Realm was anchored. Behind them stood their friends in their armors or powered up to their Sailor Soldier personas. Windy stood off to the side and watched the proceedings as she waited for the gates to be opened; she was going in first to make sure there were no surprises waiting for them.  
"I wish that we could just teleport in like we used to," muttered Seckmet.  
"What about the Sailors?" asked Ryo.  
"We have our own teleportation," said Haruka. "We could go on our own."  
"And get promptly lost," said Lady Kayura. "The Nether Realm isn't an easy place to navigate."  
"Look how long it took us to get to Tulpa's castle," said Rowen with a sour smile to Ryo. "I'm surprised that we didn't get lost on the way."  
"How do you know we didn't?" asked Ryo.  
"Because I was helping you," said Anubis without turning around. The two looked at each other and comically shuttered at the thought. Anubis gave a sour look, but didn't turn around. He knew what they were doing.  
"I think that the gate is ready," said Lady Kayura.  
"Then I better slip in, shouldn't I," said Windy as she walked to the closed doors. Anubis and Lady Kayura opened the doors a crack to allow the ghost through, then stood by waiting for a possible attack. A few minutes later, a hand came through the crack in the door waving the rest of the group through. They were now starting their attack on Chaos and Endymion.  
  
************  
  
"How long until we get there?" asked Kento.  
"We told you, Hardhead," growled Dais. "It's a little further."  
"You said that ten miles ago," muttered Haruka.  
"If anyone says 'Are we there yet' will be in serious trouble," said Ryo.  
Seckmet mouthed the dreaded statement and was promptly taken care of by Lita. Serena gave the warrior of summer a dirty look as she walked next to Rowen.  
"I take it he said it," said Cye.  
"Yes," giggled Hotaru. "I think that Lita was a little on edge before she smacked him. She seems to be doing better now."  
"Has Windy came back from scouting?" asked Sage as he glanced over at Lita.  
"Haven't seen her," said Anubis. "She should be back soon."  
It was fifteen minutes before she came back to report the terrain ahead. "I also saw a troop of soldiers in the area. I'll try to keep an eye out if it looks like they're going to come our way." The Guardian slipped off again like she was closer to the shadows then Cale.  
"We better be ready incase they find us before Windy finds them," said Sage.  
Weapons were drawn or kept close at hand. Serena called a glaive to her. It was the same one she practiced with when Windy first came to the Moon Court. Lita grinned at the thought of her princess finally being able to defend herself better then when she depended on the other Sailor during the fights.  
A flash of light was their only warning before they found the soldiers that Windy had been talking about. It seemed that they had joined ranks with another troop and then gained a few more before finding the invaders of the Nether Realm. Michiru called the waves of Neptune down on the soldiers, but they didn't go down. Sage called his sure kill and only killed three before the whole group was faced with close fighting.  
Rowen stayed near Serena to watch her back and for her to watch his as he swung his bow at most of his attackers. Serena held her glaive with ease and showed that she knew how to use it very well from the first lesson she was given over a thousand years ago.  
Ryo and Anubis fought close to each other, trying to keep an eye on their friends like the leaders they were. A flash and a dagger saved Ryo from being severely maimed from a mace around his leg. He nodded his thanks to Windy before moving on to his next target.  
Sage found himself next to Lita as she called her Oak Evolution down on the soldiers she faced. The sharp leaves cut through the armor, allowing the dark magic to dissolve and leave the encasing armor.  
"Impressive," he said quickly before thrusting at another soldier.  
"Thanks," panted Lita.  
In a choreographed move, Cye and Michiru called their water attacks again and flooded out another group of the attacking armors. Haruka followed up with Kento by using their earth attacks to smash the armors to scrap metal.  
The last armor fell to Seckmet's poisoned sword before they regrouped to see about any injuries they might have taken. The lurking ghost joined them with her sword still in her hand. She was stalking up from where they had come from with a dark look on her face. "They were trying to out flank you," she said shortly. "They won't be trying that again for a while." No one asked for any more details.  
"How close are we now?" asked Setsuna.  
"When the attacks start getting closer, then we won't be far from the castle," said Ryo.  
"Tried this before?" asked Haruka.  
"Twice."  
"And the results weren't pretty," added Rowen.  
Serena looked at her life bond and shook her head at her Sailors. She could tell that the past battles here brought painful memories back for her prince. But then, facing Chaos and Endymion were giving her troubled thoughts as well.  
  
************  
  
The patrolling soldiers did start to get closer as they progressed into the enemy territory. Lady Kayura and the Warlords saw what had happened to their hard work and a few of the patrols lost soldiers from behind. The Ronins could only give apologetic looks and a promise from Lita that she would try to help them rebuild what was lost.  
Seckmet was particularly angered when he found that the rivers once more were bare of life and his pet project had been destroyed by corrupted power. Cye wasn't as close to the project although he had given some advice on how to help with the water live, but he was just as upset as the warrior.  
"When I get my hands on Endymion, I will show him how to appreciate life, if it kills him," muttered Seckmet.  
"How about I help," said Haruka.  
"I think the line starts around the corner," said Cye, nodding to Serena and Rowen. "Besides, I think they have first dibs on Endymion's hide."  
"I'm a patient man; I can wait," said Seckmet.  
"Believe me, you can have the leftovers when I'm done," said Sage.  
"What about Ryo?" asked Dais. "That idiot tried to kill Mia last time we met him."  
"I'll let you have him," answered Ryo. "I just want him and Chaos far from here."  
"That will be arranged," said Windy. "The patrols are getting too close together for me to range out any further so you will be stuck with my pleasant company from here on in."  
"So, do you have any good ideas on how to deal with Endymion?" joked Kento.  
"String him up by his thumbs and flay him," the ghost said with a straight face.  
"That sounds like a good idea," said Rowen. "Thanks for the tip."  
Cale leaned over to Anubis and asked, "Do you think he'll actually do that?"  
Anubis glanced at Ryo and Serena. "I think it is a distinct possibility. After the pain he caused, that might just be the beginning."  
"You have that right," muttered Sage. "I still have to get him for what he did to Rena in the Silver Millennium."  
  
************  
  
The break was ended allowing the warriors to continue with their journey. As they came closer to the walls of the castle, they hid more and fought less. Some of the Warlords and Windy took out a few of the soldiers with tricks that some would consider closer to assassin moves.  
"Do you think that Endymion will noticed a few of his soldiers missing?" asked Hotaru as she killed the last of the patrol they ran into.  
"He might," said Windy. "I'm not too sure of what his reaction will be though. The twit might actually ignore it in favor of going to Chaos for more."  
"Arrogant to the last," said Ryo.  
"You get that impression too, huh?" asked Sage.  
"He's worse then the warlords were in their service to Tulpa."  
"That's saying a lot," joked Kento. "I thought that Dais was too arrogant for his own good."  
"And I managed to play several mind games on you Hardrock, so don't laugh too loud."  
"It's so nice to see our allies getting along so well," said Serena to Lady Kayura. "It just warms my heart."  
"And puts fear in the soul," Windy added. "Tease later, focus now. Even I joke, but I don't go too far with the personal jokes; these are your friends and allies."  
"In other words, apologize to each other," said Ryo. "Kento."  
Kento turned to Dais and bowed. "I apologize for the rude statement I made. I hope you will forgive me."  
Dais blinked, but a clearing throat from Anubis urged the warrior of autumn to accept and add his own apology for his comment.  
"Now that we're one big happy family again, can we continue?" asked Haruka.  
"That would be a good idea," said Rowen.  
Ryo walked next to Windy as they moved on. "Thanks for stopping a war between them."  
Windy glanced at the warrior of fire. "You're welcome. Yes, you have bad history, but I think that the past should be forgiven and forgotten. You and Rowen are doing a better job then the others though."  
"Cye seems to be getting along better with Seckmet," said Lady Kayura.  
"I think that he is forgiving in nature. He does have a temper and can hold grudges, but that is human nature. Cye can also forgive when the person is truly contrite."  
"Is that why he always is yelling at Kento for eating most of the food?" asked the young Ancient.  
"That and a few others," muttered Ryo.  
The three of them dropped their conversation in favor of watching for more of the endless patrols. When they did reach the walls around the castle, most of the group wondered how they were going to get over to the other side. Windy answered that problem with two coils of rope and a favor from Kento.  
"Kento, I need you to cup your hands and throw me up the walls," said Windy as she measured the height of their obstacle.  
"Are you sure you'll make it to the top?" asked Lita.  
Windy grinned at the princess of Jupiter. "Oh, I'm positive."  
She backed away from Kento to get a running start to her jump. When she placed her foot in Kento's hands, he gave a mighty push and she flew up the wall. The Guardian didn't quite make the top of the wall, but she was within reach before she started downward. Her hands caught the edge of the wall and the group at the foot of the wall watched as she swung her legs up and over to the other side. A few minutes later the coils of rope came sailing down for the first brave two people to climb up.  
Ryo was the first to grab one of them and Haruka went for the other. After tugging to make sure the ropes weren't going to fall on them, the two started up the slim path over the wall. Two by two the group followed the ghost and leaders of their respective groups. When they got to the top, they found Windy making sure that the ropes didn't fall with anyone still climbing them. Ryo and Haruka were watching for any surprises; a few scraps of armor showed that they had to silence a few of the soldiers before they could give alarm to the rest of the castle.  
"That was fun," joked Sage as he came over with his sister.  
"I can see why the Guardian had some trouble getting over the top," said Serena. "That was a long climb."  
"Try doing it in armor," said Cale. "It gets worse."  
"That makes me thankful that we don't have armor," said Hotaru as she watched Rowen and Lita start their ascension.  
"Now we just have to get to the castle," said Anubis.  
"That will be a trick and half," said Windy. "If you thought that getting through to the castle wall was hard, then wait till you see what's waiting for us."  
"Don't tell me," said Rowen. "Endymion has monsters with the armors."  
"No," said Ryo. "He has what Haruka calls Youma."  
"They don't look like what we fought when Michiru and I were looking for the Talismans, but they are more powerful."  
Serena took a quick look then ducked back down with a scared face. "They're what Beryl used when she was trying to bring the Dark Kingdom back. Only these seem stronger."  
"Endymion must be using his earliest memories to use against us," said Lita.  
"And Chaos is giving them a power boost," said Rowen.  
"Sounds like a blast," said Kento as he cleared the wall with Setsuna close behind him.  
Windy looked at him and shook her head. "I have been called crazy, but I am seriously concerned about your sanity. You call THAT fun. I want your opinion when we get done."  
"He'll probably still enjoy the fight," said Sage sourly.  
When the whole invasion force was together again, Windy pulled her ropes back up and looked for frays while she coiled them up again. Then they turned to see just what was in store for them on the other side of the wall.  
"I think that Kento needs to have his head checked," said Lady Kayura seriously. 


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 21  
  
Disclaimer: I live in my Grandmother's trailer with my cousin. I still have bills from before and now new ones. Do you think that I would even _try to claim Ronin Warriors and Sailor Moon. I wouldn't survive the lawsuit.  
  
"This is getting very familiar," grumbled Ryo.  
  
"I believe that we passed it an hour ago," agreed Setsuna.  
  
"So we're going around in circles," stated Haruka.  
  
"Looks like," said Windy absently as she looked over the area.  
  
"I thought that you knew where we were going," said Kento accusingly to Anubis.  
  
"It's changed from when we were last here," said Cale. "Not even Tulpa had it this bad."  
  
"Wanna make a bet," muttered Rowen.  
  
"Okay, I think I know where we are suppose to go from here," announced Lady Kayura.  
  
"You're sure?" asked Serena. "We aren't going to turn back up here?"  
  
"Positive," said the young Ancient. "Windy will be watching the direction that we go."  
  
"I feel so much better," muttered Seckmet sarcastically. "We will be in such good hands."  
  
"I'm glad you feel that way. You can follow me," said Windy as she started out.  
  
Seckmet didn't say anything, but followed the ghost down a different path then the one they used before. Lady Kayura and the others followed the two with directions being called out by the Ancient to the leaders in front. Once in a while a negative response would be called back, leaving the Ancient to make a new plan on where to go. Sometimes Windy or Seckmet would offer a suggestion on their direction which Lady Kayura would agree to try. A few hours later found them miles from the point they had left and very tired. In Kento's case he was complaining of being hungry.  
  
************  
  
"It amazes me on how hungry Hardrock can get," said Dais.  
  
"We have to watch him eat most of the time," said Cye. "How do you think we feel?"  
  
"Disgusted comes to mind," said Michiru as she watched Kento force something into his mouth. "How can he do that?"  
  
"He has a large mouth," said Windy. "He can put a lot in. Unfortunately there is no polite way of doing it."  
  
"And how would you know?" asked Serena.  
  
"There are times when you have to wolf down your food. I happen to have the Grand Canyon for a mouth and can do it quickly."  
  
"That wasn't something I really wanted to know," muttered Cale as he walked away from the ghost. "I always thought of you as being dignified."  
  
There were some muffled laughing from the Silver Millennium court in response to Cale's statement on Windy and dignity. The ones who didn't understand looked to the former courtiers and the grinning Windy. The ghost saw the questions and grinned wider before answering. "I have a lot of dignity, but I can throw it out the window if I have to. If we can, ask Endymion about the time he challenged me when I was in the bath."  
  
"I think you won that battle because he was so distracted with you being half naked," chortled Rowen.  
  
Windy shrugged. "Well, he shouldn't have demanded that I meet him immediately in the field of honor. I would have come out in decent clothing and then kick him seven ways from Sunday."  
  
Sage smiled in remembrance. "Yes, you did beat him good; and in a towel no less. He was laughed at by several members of the Sun Court after that."  
  
"I remember that several of the outer courtiers were openly laughing at the Earth Prince," said Lita. "Queen Serenity had to order them to stop teasing Serena's future husband."  
  
"I know that mother was smiling up her sleeve whenever she could," said Rowen. "Father was so upset at Endymion that he didn't speak to him unless it was about state business. The four Generals just smiled whenever they saw him in the practice field. I think that he wanted to challenge you again, Guardian."  
  
"He could challenge me all he wanted to, but the outcome would be the same. He would be the laughing stock of the system," said Windy.  
  
"So you fought Endymion in a bath towel?" asked Lady Kayura.  
  
"Oh, yes. The cats were laughing so hard I though they were going to bring up hairballs," laughed Serena.  
  
"So much for dignity," said Dais. "I guess we shouldn't tease Hardrock so much anymore."  
  
"Wonderful idea," muttered Kento. "I wish you had thought of it sooner."  
  
"Are you still sore from being teased so much?" asked Cye.  
  
"What do you think?" huffed Kento. He was going to say more, but Windy stiffened and looked in the direction they were going to go.  
  
"We have company coming," she said quietly. She slowly drew her sword and started to edge forward. She knew what was coming and the others soon figured out they would be meeting one of the first monsters Endymion created.  
  
The Youma that Windy met before the others that followed it was a perversion of the flowers that Endymion used to throw, instead of the beautiful rose, it was twisted and all the color was lost for the brown of death. The only thing that was not twisted was the thorns that covered its body. It held an elongated thorn like a sword and thrust it at the ghost blocking its way to the Moon Princess. The ghost parried the thrust and a quick stab showed that she had a long dagger in the other hand. The warriors who watched the start of the battle were surprised to see Windy holding her sword with one hand, but they couldn't concern themselves with the outcome of her battle because the Rose Youma had friends coming to join them.  
  
Rowen caught the muttered comment about "Flower Power" from Windy before he was engaged with something that looked like a peony. It looked like a few of the vine flowers were added to the group as he felt something wrap around his leg. Haruka helped him out when she cut the vine up close to the Youma. Kento and Seckmet rounded on a dandelion that had started blowing its seeds around the area. Lita threw her Oak Evolution that caught the seeds before they could do much damage to the Dynasty invaders.  
  
Cye and Michiru over watered a vicious violet while Hotaru cut a daisy. Setsuna used her Dead Scream to stop a Morning Glory that was heading for Serena as she was helping Lady Kayura with a tiger lily. Both had several sets of slashes before it was destroyed. Sage kept a close eye on his sister and friend as he helped Ryo and Anubis fight off another vine-like rose bush. It was one of the first to fall when Ryo used his sure kill to burn it. Windy helped stop the vine flower that had wrapped around Serena and Rowen again and was starting for the castle in the middle of the maze.  
  
"That was fun," said Haruka. "It was the first time I was able to cut flowers without Michiru yelling at me."  
  
"That's because they were trying to kill us," said Michiru. "The ones you try killing are normal flowers that should be left alone to grow."  
  
"I bet you say that about dandelions, too," said Windy as she examined a scratch on her leg.  
  
Lita looked over at Kento. "So, was that fun?"  
  
The bearer of Hardrock shrugged his shoulders. "A little bit. I want to see what else he can throw at us. Those pansies weren't that much trouble."  
  
"Then who was having the hay fever attack?" asked Seckmet as he looked over a still intact dandelion seed.  
  
"I don't know, who?" asked Kento with a straight face.  
  
Seckmet just sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn't think that his former enemy would admit to anything that could be used against him later.  
  
When everyone was sure their friends were all right, they started on their twisted journey once again. Windy stayed in front, but she had different help this time. Hotaru stayed next to the ghost as they traveled down the corridors. Windy's sense of direction helped Lady Kayura navigate the new twists and turns to the castle. She renewed her anger at Endymion and Chaos for ruining her home that she and the Warlords worked so hard to reestablish.  
  
************  
  
"They beat the first group of Youma, Chaos," snarled Endymion. "You didn't make them powerful enough."  
  
"I made them powerful enough, you chose the wrong forms. Those Youma were defeated because of their looks. Anyone can beat a flower, even the simple Sailors you used to help. The white witch easily beat the most powerful of the group and then stopped us from getting your bride and half brother."  
  
"I don't think that there is any way we can separate her from them. She will find them even if they are in a different dimension."  
  
"What if we were to separate them through out one dimension, Prince?" asked Chaos. "She will have to search for all of them."  
  
"Can you do it?" asked the dark prince. "We could take my 'little brother' and my princess while she searches for everyone of them."  
  
************  
  
Windy is a "Jack of All Trades"; she can also multitask with the best of them. As she was watching for more pitfalls in the maze they were walking, she was also listening to what the wind brought her. She normally didn't use her power to see what her enemies were up to, but she didn't trust a man twisted by Chaos. She felt he was just like a psychotic person who would use any excuse to do what they wanted or justify what they did. Sometimes they did something for no rhyme or reason. This is what frightened Windy the most.  
  
She nodded absently as the wind passed by with the news of what the dark prince and Chaos planned. She would have to take steps to ensure that she would be loosing her charges anytime soon.  
  
Again the wind swirled around her, and then it passed through the rest of the group. She would know where they all were now and she could find them in one step. She knew that Chaos would know she could bring them back together, but it hadn't told Endymion that. She had an idea that there was more to Chaos' plan then what it was letting on to their new enemy.  
  
"Be careful, Chaos. I may not be able to stop you, but I will be there to pronounce your judgment."  
  
************  
  
When the fell wind that blew through the maze came straight at them, Windy knew that she would be left alone. This was a breeze that wasn't natural and wouldn't bend to the power given to her; thus Windy watched as the five Sailors and the ten armor bearers were separated from her to the far reaches of the maze. The two she was the most concerned with were brought right to the castle.  
  
"What are you up to Chaos?" Windy muttered. "Why bring them right to you? Does Endymion even know they are there?"  
  
Nothing answered the ghost's question, but the tug to her left showed her that one or more of her other charges was nearby. That would have to be her first priority. 


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 22  
  
Disclaimer: I really haven't given up anything for Lent, but I can say this. "I never had and probably never will have ownership of Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors." Thank you and enjoy the story. ; )  
  
There is some swearing in this chapter. Could consider this PG-13.  
  
Sage was beyond furious. Next to him Lita seethed and crackled with sparks. "When I get my hands on that poor excuse for a prince, he'll be spread to the four winds," growled the Sun prince.  
  
"Then I'll blast him to tiny bits," added Lita.  
  
"If you feel that way about it, then how about joining me on my quest?" asked a humor-filled voice. The pair turned to see the Guardian standing half in and half out of a wall in the maze. She held out her right hand to the Sun prince and Jovian princess like she was going to pull them through the wall. "Well, what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Chaos and Endymion are waiting with Serena and Rowen."  
  
The pair grabbed the ghost's arm and was pulled through the wall with a mighty tug. On the other side stood Haruka and the four warlords. Each looked ready to kill something and in the princess of Uranus' case, she was spitting out quiet swear words. Seckmet once in a while added a few to the mix.  
  
"Where are the others?" asked Lita.  
  
"We're still looking for them," said Anubis. "Windy is basically our radar when we come close. We found Haruka on the way to finding the two of you."  
  
"So we are down three more Sailors, three Ronins, and an Ancient," summed up Sage. "Where are they?"  
  
"Patience, prince," said Windy. "I have to find their sparks to find them. In this place it can take a while. Chaos is making the place a little static-y for me to find them properly."  
  
"Are we just going to sit here while you find our friends?" asked Lita bitterly.  
  
Windy shook her head as she started to walk forward away from the castle. "No, I can do this while we walk. It helps a little in finding them anyway."  
  
"Why are we walking away from the castle?" asked Haruka.  
  
"Because that way will lead us into a part of the maze that would give even the Lady Guardian trouble," said Dais. "That was where Tulpa had us lead the Ronins when they last came to fight Tulpa. There are more traps and pits in that area then in a cave. We would likely be killed before even getting close to Chaos or our friends."  
  
The small group followed Windy as she led them in round about ways through the maze. She looked almost absent while she looked at walls and the sky above. It was hearing a small girl using words that Michiru would kill Haruka for teaching her that they realized they were close to another of their members. Windy went directly to the sound and looked back at the group.  
  
"We know, stay here," said Seckmet.  
  
Windy nodded her head and passed through the wall. Sage wondered if she was going to do the same thing that she had done with Lita and him. At the thought of the Jovian Sailor, he glanced over to see what she was doing. Lita was looking at the castle they were retreating from with a frown on her face. He decided to see just what she was thinking now that he had calmed down a little.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked quietly.  
  
Lita jerked from her deep thoughts and Haruka looked at the pair before shaking her head at the others in their party. This was something that should have been done before they had started in this quest.  
  
"Nothing," sighed Lita.  
  
"Makoto," said Sage. "Don't. I know you well enough to know that there is something on your mind. Out with it."  
  
"It's the thought of Serena in the same castle as Endymion. She's all alone and I can't help her. I failed her so many times and yet she called me friend. Now she's gone and I have to wait to get to her. If I were younger and hadn't ruined my relationship with her like I did, then I would be charging up to that castle and blowing it to bits to find her. Now I have to temper my anger and wait until I can find the culprit that took her from me again. When I do find them, I'm gonna send so much power their way, it'll light up Tokyo and Toyama for the next twenty years."  
  
"What if I help you?" asked Sage. "That is my best friend and my sister in there. I learned to work with him in my war and I haven't seen my sister since we were killed the first time. I want her back, too, and I'll do just about anything to get them back."  
  
"That sounds like a plan; mind if we join you?" asked a missed voice.  
  
Lita and Sage turned to see Ryo and Hotaru standing with Windy. The ghost was leaning against the stone wall like she was resting from a particularly hard task. The two new comers looked a little harried, but ready to fight. Hotaru was sporting another gash on her left leg from mid thigh to her boot. Ryo was only holding one of his katanas and keeping his right hand close to his chest.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Sage as he took in the sight of his brother in arms and new friend.  
  
"I'll be fine when we leave this place," shrugged Ryo. "It brings back memories I really don't want to think about."  
  
"Like sacrifices?" asked Sage quietly.  
  
"Yeah, those and other things." Ryo turned to Hotaru. "How's your leg?"  
  
"I'll survive," said the petite girl. "I was ready to call the Silence on that last one if Windy hadn't come."  
  
"Oh, were you?" asked Haruka. "It sounded like you were painting the walls blue with language Michiru will blame on me. Where did you pick up some of those words anyway?" No one answered, but Cale did turn a little pink. The Sailor of Uranus arched an eyebrow at the warrior of Darkness but didn't say anything. "Any one else?"  
  
"I think I heard Kento cursing right along with him," offered Dais.  
  
"What were they doing that caused Hotaru to learn such words?"  
  
"I think it was some racing game," said Windy absently. "Or it could have been some other game on that Playstation (Copyrighted) or whatever it was they were playing. See why I usually stick with cards and board games?"  
  
"And I'm sure that you have some inventive words for when you lose too," said Hotaru as she finished healing the gash a little. She walked a bit to see if it would start bleeding again before nodding her head in satisfaction over the job.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," was the absent protest. "I don't swear at games like that." The ghost frowned before starting the group in a path parallel to the east side of the castle.  
  
"Then we didn't hear you cursing out a game on the computer the other night?" asked Sage. He and Lita followed Ryo and Hotaru to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with them from the fight they had been picked up from. Haruka walked next to her adopted daughter to keep an eye on her as well. The Warlords spread themselves out among the group to keep the back and flanks safe from sudden attacks.  
  
"I wasn't cursing at the computer or the game," Windy admitted as she looked at the crossroads in front of her. "I was venting frustration over something that had been brought to my attention that didn't concern this particular assignment. My thoughts about my brother and what he is doing about his life shouldn't affect the mission on getting rid of Chaos and Endymion."  
  
"Do you want to talk about it later?" asked Haruka as she watched the stiffening of the ghost's shoulders at the thought of what was going on in her private life.  
  
"Not really. I can go "talk" to him later about his lack of common sense when I get done here. By then, I hope to have certain people ready to work out their feelings on their own and have two ready to drown you in wedding plans." Windy turned and smirked at the boyish Sailor. "I don't envy you any of that fun that will be coming."  
  
Hotaru perked up at the mention of the wedding plans. "Are Serena and Rowen going to finally get around to planning out a wedding?" she asked excitedly.  
  
Haruka and the Warlords groaned at the thought, but Ryo grinned in glee. He would be able to watch his friends try to work out things while Serena pouted to get her way. He would have to grab Mia and bowl of popcorn to watch the entertainment.  
  
"What are you grinning about?" snapped Sage. "I'm sure that Mia will be wanting to talk to you about wedding plans when Serena starts up."  
  
Ryo just grinned wider at his friend and ignored the glares shot at his back. Boy was he glad he already discussed that with Mia. They just wanted to wait to see what Sage and Rowen were going to do before they started anything. Windy looked back at the Mars prince and chuckled. May be she could request time to see Mia snagging her boyfriend. Another look amended that last thought. They would be snagging each other.  
  
Haruka groaned. "The next thing you know, Lita will thinking up plans for Sage and then where will we be?"  
  
Sage looked over at the tall Sailor and wished he didn't. The talk of the future brought Lita from the depression she had been in and got her thinking and starry eyed. He wondered if he should start running.  
  
"Don't even think about it," said Windy.  
  
Sage scowled and tried to concentrate on looking for other "Youma" that could come knocking. He didn't want to think about anything like that yet. He still had to come to terms with his past and with his present. What would his grandfather say about Makoto anyway?  
  
************  
  
Serena wished that she could scream or cry or do something other then sit there and stare at the four walls. She wasn't as ditzy as she acted; she knew she was trapped in a dark dungeon and crying wasn't going to get her out. She just wished that she knew how to pick locks. Then may be she could get out of her cell and find Rowen. Then she would find her old boyfriend and Chaos so she could send them packing for the final time. She wanted normalcy, dang it!  
  
"Welcome, Cosmos," whispered that hated voice. Chaos was going to try talking to her again. "Do you like your arrangement?"  
  
Serena considered not talking. She also considered telling Chaos where to go, but she didn't think that it was possible. She hoped that Windy would be able to get rid of it for good when she kicked its nonexistent butt up around its nonexistent ears. "Should I? I kinda liked it when I was with my friends in the Mortal Realm."  
  
"Now why would you like it there? Would it be because of a certain blue haired Earth prince?"   
  
Serena felt like Chaos was coiling around her shoulders. It made her skin crawl and she shuddered. She wished that Rowen were here with her. Or may be they weren't there at all and it was some horrible dream. One she would wake up from and still have her new friends and love. They would talk about her dream and laugh about how silly she was being. The rough rock against her back and the rotten smell in her cell convinced her that it was all too real.  
  
"What did you do to Rowen?" screamed the Moon Princess. "Where is he?!"  
  
"Someplace safe," soothed Chaos. "I wouldn't want any harm coming to him before the right time, now wouldn't I?"  
  
"Bring him back!" demanded Serena.  
  
"Not yet Cosmos," answered Chaos. "I still have plans for you and your prince. I'm sure that Endymion would love to have you see him kill his own brother before he claims you forever."  
  
Serena felt the slimy presence of Chaos leave her. She would be strong, she wouldn't cry. She would find a way of saving her friends and love.  
  
The Princess of the Moon and Guardian of the Cosmos felt tears come down her cheeks.  
  
At least she wasn't wailing, was the sour, humorous thought. Raye couldn't complain about that.  
  
More tears fell from her eyes.  
  
************  
  
Rowen was pissed. He was beyond pissed; he was seeing red. He wanted his half brother and Chaos right there in front of him and he would unleash an Arrow Shockwave so powerful they would be blown across ten dimensions before landing. The bounces would add another six before they stopped. Yep, that sounded good to the Strata Ronin.  
  
"Enjoying yourself, Earth prince?" oozed a slimy voice.  
  
Rowen looked around his cell. There wasn't anyone at the door so it couldn't be his creep half brother and Cale and Dais are on their side now, so it couldn't be them. "Where are you?" he yelled. "Why don't you come out where I can see you?"  
  
The voice laughed a slithering laugh. "I am out. You just can't see me," it chuckled. "You don't know how to see me."  
  
"And I'm sure I don't want to know," snarled Rowen. "I wouldn't be any better then Endymion if I did."  
  
"Now that's not true," protested the voice. "I would make so much better then your foolish half brother. I would make you like my old servant Galaxia. You would be all powerful."  
  
"Not interested," snapped the Strata Ronin. "I have all I want and when I get out of here I plan on seeing you sent back to the pit in Hell you crawled from."  
  
"And live happily ever after with your princess, I'm sure," snickered the voice. "What if she doesn't want you after all this. Her old boyfriend did dump her pretty harshly. You could just be the rebound. When she feels better, she'll find someone who is worth her. And you'll be left in the dust."  
  
This sounded familiar to Rowen. He thought it every night when Serena was sleeping and he was alone. When she was with him, the thoughts all disappeared, but when he was alone in his room with Ryo, White Blaze, and Sage sleeping, it kept him up at night. Doubts assailed the Air Ronin with the darkness fell and he couldn't sleep.  
  
Then something else made its way into his memory. They followed on the tracks of the doubts and up-rooted them like a gardener weeding a beautiful garden. She isn't going to leave you at any time, it whispered. This love is forever. If one dies, then the other will follow soon. I have seen it before and will likely see it again.  
  
Rowen had gone to the ghost about his doubts and insecurities. She had him sit down and then asked him questions that demanded truthful answers to, not polite platitudes. Then she pulled a book from a bookshelf she had been stacking and opened it to a page. She began to start reading from the book to him exactly what he had said to answer her questions. She had looked up at him then and said, "This passage I just read to you describes what a lifebond is. It goes on further to say that lifebonds don't leave their other half except in death. Few have the will or strength to survive a separation like that. I don't think that you will be loosing Serena any time soon. I would get used to her if I were you."  
  
"Go to Hell," said Rowen.  
  
"What?" asked the voice, startled.  
  
"You heard me. I don't think Serena is going to leave me any time soon. Go find something else to do, like stand in front of a firing squad, Chaos. I have better things to do then listen to you."  
  
"And what would be that? You are stuck in a dungeon cell with no way out."  
  
"Trying to find a way out of a supposed "no way out" cell. See ya later Chaos." Rowen ignored any more of the promises and threats from the voice. Even if Chaos did something, he had faith that Windy or her God would be able to fix it. After all, He was supposed to have risen from the dead. Rowen was sure that He could fix something Chaos broke.  
  
************  
  
"Such faith you have in me, Rowen," whispered Windy. "It's refreshing." She glanced at the growing number of warriors with her. All they had to do was find Lady Kayura and Setsuna and they would have the complete set other then Rowen and Serena.  
  
"Kento, how did you survive on your own if you're having trouble with this," called Cye.  
  
"I didn't have something like this attacking me when I was alone," yelled back Kento.  
  
"Don't kill it," protested Michiru. "It's just a tree."  
  
"You didn't tell her what kind did you?" asked Anubis to Cale.  
  
"Nope. And I didn't tell them how to get Hardrock out either."  
  
"We are in for a long afternoon," sighed Sage.  
  
"Very long," agreed Windy. "I give it ten more minutes. Then Ryo or I is going to toast it."  
  
"Sounds good to me," agreed Ryo.  
  
Crash.  
  
"May be we won't have to."  
  
"Let's make sure no one else gets caught in the tree, Ryo, before we make that assumption."  
Heh, look what deciding to sit down and write can do for you? And it's out "early". Hooray for me. I'm sure you would like me to do something like this more often. We'll see; can't make promises. Rocky. 


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
Rocky Oberlin  
Chapter 23  
  
Disclaimer: *Looks around* Who says I own Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon? As far as I know, I don't have ownership papers in a safety deposit box or in my Dad's safe. Looks like the original owners still have them.  
  
It was fascinating watching the new Ancient and the Time Guardian working together. They were calm, cool, and collected. Windy smirked. That was until the monster came barreling out of the wall. Then they lost all their stately reserve and would have surprised their friends with the things they said and did. Windy wasn't one to imagine the elegant Setsuna, Princess and Sailor of Pluto, kicking something between its legs like a regular woman. It just didn't seem to fit the bill when you thought of her.  
  
Windy looked up. Looks like another one wants to join the party and the two women are having enough trouble with the first two. Time to make things even.  
  
The ghost faded from her spot on the top of the wall and floated down to the ground. She placed herself in the wall itself to watch the monster ready itself for a surprise attack. It never got its chance. Just as it crouched for a springing attack, a force that would be reminiscent of an American football team bulldozed it (AN: not the Lions. They couldn't win for losing. And I have every right to say this because I come from Michigan where they are homed at.) The surprise lost, the monster looked to see what had ruined the victory for its master. It didn't see much as a fist was making headway into its face, effectively knocking it out.  
  
"Get angry much?" asked an amused Lady Kayura.  
  
"Only once in a while," shrugged the ghost. "I just happen to no like backstabbers. They are lower than assassins. At least assassins ask for pay before doing a job. Backstabbers do it for the cheap thrill."  
  
"Interesting philosophy," said Sailor Pluto with an arched eyebrow.  
  
Windy shrugged. "Sometimes I get time on my hands. The rest of the time I learn from experience."  
  
"Is there a reason you're here or are you just here to make conversation?" asked Lady Kayura.  
  
"Weeeell, I could say that I'm here for the conversation and then let you make your way to the castle, but I'm feeling nice, so I'll bring you to the rest of the group and we can all go together." Windy negligently waved a hand and the three were relocated with the rest of the searching Ronins and Sailors.  
  
Anubis took one look at his replacement and chuckled. "She annoy you much when she finally came?" he asked.  
  
Lady Kayura shot a glare at their ghostly guide and nodded. "Is it me, or is she in a strange mood?"  
  
"Windy is in a strange mood," confirmed Cye. "We don't know why, but there are times when she will say the strangest things. None of us are too sure what is going on."  
  
"May be she's finally cracking under the strain," offered Cale.  
  
"You wish," called Windy from the front of the group. "I'm just tired. I get strange when I get tired. It's better then getting grumpy."  
  
Kento gave her a look. "We'll take your word for it."  
  
"Considering that once she almost threw an animate into a wall when she didn't get enough sleep, I would," offered Hotaru.  
  
"Actually, I think it was through several walls," corrected Haruka. "She had just finally been able to get to bed."  
  
"And how did you know this?" asked Seckmet.  
  
"She was staying with us at the time," said Michiru. "All Serena had to do was heal the person. We didn't have to fight at all."  
  
"Much to Sailor StarFighter's dismay," giggled Hotaru. Haruka just growled a little at the rest of the memory.  
  
Ryo leaned over to the smaller Sailor and asked, "Didn't care for this Sailor StarFighter that much?"  
  
Hotaru shook her head. "Not really. She and Michiru were of the opinion that we should be defending our planet and Princess, not them."  
  
"That's putting it mildly," called back Windy. "The four of you were very jealous of your positions on defending the solar system."  
  
"That was what we were given to remember," said Sailor Pluto. "You can't fault us on that."  
  
Windy shook her head. "No, I can't. I can only just see Queen Serenity at some point and explain to her why that idea didn't hold as much water as she had hoped. Her idea would have faded at some point and it is probably best that it happened now."  
  
"Why?" asked Sage.  
  
"Because if the expected future happened, then Serena would have been stuck in a loveless marriage with no friends," said Lita. "And I wouldn't have figured out my loyalty and the Outers would probably be guarding the outer solar system."  
  
"And be too late if something should happen to Serena in that possibility," added Sailor Pluto. She looked at her fellow Sailors and the Guardian leading them. "I'm glad that the Guardian did come when she did. We could have lost everything."  
  
************  
  
Endymion stalked through the Dynasty castle to where Chaos took up "residence". He was furious and ready to have a talk with his ally. The dark Prince found the entity of Chaos sitting in the rooms that Badamon had used for his spells before he had been destroyed by Windy in his second attempt to gain his princess. He didn't bother to knock on the door as he was supposed to be the Master of this place, but in the back of his mind he knew that he only had the extra power because of the being he was about to dress down.  
  
"Why wasn't I told about the capture of my princess and half brother?" he snarled.  
  
Chaos didn't turn in the body it inhabited. It had been one of the few It could take with no problem. The only down side was the fact that the new body was decaying at an excelled rate. Chaos privately cursed the Being who took away his ability to steal a body when It wanted. That was another log on the fire of rage that Chaos carried in Its nonexistent being.  
  
"Because I want all of them here before we seal their fates with your joining with Cosmos."  
  
"That's not good enough," growled the Prince. "There is always a way out before the plan is finished. I have seen it before when I was helping the little Princess."  
  
"I want them here, little Prince. Our plans are always at risk, but risk is a spice of life."  
  
"I'm not taking chances. Where is my bride and half brother?"  
  
"Where do you think?" chortled Chaos. "I'm not taking chances either. They are locked up where they can't get out. Trust me."  
  
Endymion stalked out of the room, muttering, "Not likely." He would find his bride and he would make sure that she would be his. And all her power with it.  
  
*********  
  
Serena had stopped crying, but now she was determined. She couldn't give up hope; she had a love to get to. She had her cry, now she had to get out. Serena knew that the Windwalker was coming with her friends and brother, but Chaos was closer and so was Endymion.  
  
Endymion. That name alternated shivers down her back and a slow boiling rage. "May be if I let the rage come out, then I can finally get this over and done with," muttered Serena.  
  
She moved around the room, examining the door and the walls around it. Just because she wasn't as clever as Ami was didn't mean that she couldn't generate ideas on what to do if she looked at the problem.  
  
"May be I don't need the rage just yet," smiled Serena. "I could do this by myself."  
  
*********  
  
Rowen was restless in his cell. He could vaguely feel his lifebond in the link that kept them close. He didn't discover it until he felt rage that wasn't his pricking the back of his head. He didn't think that Serena knew what she was doing, but it helped him have more initiative to get out. He had a score to settle with his half brother and with the entity that called itself Chaos. He was going to help Serena send it packing and send his brother to where he belongs. This time the Queen of the Moon wasn't going to be bringing him back.  
  
There was a dull roar and a loud crash of rocks falling down in the hall to his right that brought the Strata bearer out of his musings. "Sounds like Rena finally used that rage for something constructive. Well, one good escape deserves another." Rowen called his armor and blasted a hole in the wall where his door was located. It was nice having power your brother didn't.  
  
"Rowen?"  
  
Rowen perked up his head at the call and followed the echoes down the hall. He saw Serena walking toward him, moving cautiously for any traps that might suddenly appear.  
  
"Angel, are you alright?" called Rowen.  
  
"Fine for now," answered Serena. "I guess Lita is rubbing off on me." She giggled at a thought.  
  
"That did sound like the Jovian Princess," agreed Rowen. "What are you laughing at?"  
  
"An old memory," she said. "It was when Endymion and I were trapped by one of Beryl's generals in a building and she blasted an opening so the others could get in. This was way before I even knew that I was the Moon Princess."  
  
"That must have been a surprise when you found out."  
  
"You bet it was. I wasn't even feeling very princessly when all was said and done. And then I had the idea that I loved Endymion."  
  
Rowen gritted his teeth. "I think that at some point we should have a word with the Diplomat about speaking to your mother about that little memory."  
  
"I totally agree. That was so disgusting how he treated me in our early relationship." Serena shook her head. I wonder if she still is in the Central Computer; I could 'talk' to her when we get done."  
  
"I wouldn't be making plans if I were you," said a sneering voice. Endymion stepped out of the shadows to confront his family and princess. "I think that you will be with me for a very long time. And then when the throne is secure, you may be joining her in the after life."  
  
Rowen stepped in front of Serena. "You'll have to get by me."  
  
"That will be a pleasure, little brother. I want to make sure that you will be out of the way when I finally take my wife."  
  
"I think I have some say in this matter," growled Serena. "I happen to like my new boyfriend and he treats me a lot better then you ever did. He treated me like an equal, not a stupid little kid."  
  
"Who said that you weren't a stupid little kid? We had to hold your hand through the whole time you fought."  
  
"She is no more stupid then you are the accepted Prince of this Earth," spat Rowen. "This Earth would rather have Kento defending it over a pompous oaf like you. It knows that Kento would treat it and the people on it like his family that has to be taken care of. You would use it for your own gain."  
  
"And there is something wrong with this idea?" asked Endymion in mock surprise. "We are royalty. We have the right to do as we please and take what we want."  
  
"And we have the responsibility to take care of the things in our care," snapped back Serena. "We have to make sure that it grows as it is suppose to and not fall into disrepair of neglect and anarchy."  
  
"Where did you learn such nonsense?" asked Endymion with amusement. "That sounds like something the Diplomat would come up with on her God's idea of stewardship."  
  
"You hit the nail on the head," growled Rowen. "Even I remember that lesson from the Silver Millennium. She told us that as she watched our parents fall before Beryl and her fake generals. Too bad Queen Serenity didn't learn that lesson in the beginning."  
  
"She did, that was why she wanted Serena to marry me," snarled back Endymion, his amused tone gone. "And as such, Serena will be mine and I will create the Kingdom of Earth and Moon again in my own image."  
  
*********  
  
A gust of wind circled the group as they approached the looming castle. It had taken hours, but they did get through the last of the maze and the creatures guarding it. The gust looked through the group before it found the one who could hear its message. The movement of air twisted around the ghost leading the group and breathed its message in her ears. Then it swept on its way to another part of the dimension to watch from afar.  
  
Windy frowned at the news the wind gust brought her. Sage and Lita saw the dark look and moved closer to the ghost. "What's wrong?" asked Sage.  
  
Windy forced her stride to lengthen and hurried the group even faster. They didn't mind when they heard the reason. "Endymion is facing off with Serena and Rowen. He's baiting Rowen to a fight. I don't think that we'll be in time to stop any bloodshed."  
  
"I don't care about the bloodshed as long as it's that Endymion's," grumbled Cale. "He's been a pain the butt since he came here."  
  
"You won't find any arguments in this group," said Ryo. "He grew up a royal pain in the butt."  
  
"One that should have been taken care of in the beginning," muttered Haruka.  
  
"We wished," muttered back Michiru. "We couldn't do anything and Setsuna and Serenity wouldn't let us do anything about him anyway."  
  
"More's the pity," said Hotaru. "May be we wouldn't have had the rebellion against the Moon."  
  
"Doubt it," said Lady Kayura. "Earth was only a part of it from your memories and what Windy told us. The rebellion would have gone on anyway and there is the possibility that Beryl would have ended the Silver Millennium. He just helped push the dissension along."  
  
"That is true," said Setsuna. "The Silver Millennium was already falling when Queen Serenity betrothed Serena to Endymion. She had hoped for a quick fix to keep it together and expected Serena to go along with it."  
  
"And Rena did," snapped Sage. "Mother forced Serena to obey her command. Even Luna and Artimas were surprised how she forced Rena into this marriage."  
  
"This is new," said Lita. "How did she do it?"  
  
"By saying in a nutshell, that she would have to marry Endymion or she will be blamed for the fall of everything, even the solar system. Mother pulled the biggest guilt trip I had ever seen. And then said that if Rena didn't do it, she would be forced by Mother's hand and would never get to see her friends again."  
  
"Queen Serenity has a lot to answer for, doesn't she?" asked Ryo. "Think we could have a talk with her later?"  
  
Windy looked back at the group burning in rage. "I think I can swing it. Right now, I would say that you should be locking that away or using it for something more constructive, like defeating Chaos and Endymion." Windy looked ahead again. There was trouble coming and she wasn't sure that they would reach Rowen and Serena in time. 


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
  
Rocky Oberlin  
  
Chapter 24  
  
Disclaimer: I am a Christian and there is a Commandment, the Eighth Commandment that says "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor." In other words don't lie. I also like listening to Rush Limbaugh. He calls himself the "Truth Detector". So with these two factors I have to say, I don't own Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon.  
  
Windy knew that they wouldn't make it to the battle between Rowen and Endymion. She glanced at the possibilities that could happen and frowned. She didn't like the odds of what could happen, but there was the possibility of Rowen winning without any problems. As much as Windy tried to be optimistic, sometimes she was cynical. Chaos wasn't going to let Rowen win without doing something to help Its servant. She had to even the odds and help Serena get ready for her fight with Chaos.  
  
Sage noticed the frown on the Windwalker's face and the dark look that had settled there. He glanced back at his friends and quickened his pace to talk to the ghost. "What's wrong?"  
  
"We won't make it to the fight between Rowen and Endymion."  
  
"Can't you get us there faster?"  
  
Windy shook her head. "I would have to go through the protections Chaos put up around the castle. That would take time, especially with the size of our group."  
  
"What if it was just one or two?"  
  
Windy looked at the Sun Prince out of the corner of her eye. "Are you offering?"  
  
Sage looked right at the older ghost. "Yes."  
  
Windy stopped and turned to look at the Halo bearer. "Alright. You asked for it and I'll give it to you. Hold onto your armor orb, kid, this is going to be a bumpy ride."  
  
The rest of the group stopped to watch as Windy raised her right hand with a white glowing ball in her palm. Sage responded with a green glow radiating around him and his armor. The white ball rose from Windy's hand and joined the green glow around Sage, engulfing him before he became the size of the small ball that Windy had held. She then moved her hand and sent the ball zipping through the walls of the maze and through the protections that Chaos had put up around the castle and Itself. Windy's eyes unfocused as she guided the ball far from them to the two people closest to Sage who needed him the most.  
  
"Will Sage be alright?" asked Lita when Windy focused back to the here and now.  
  
"He should be," said Windy. "I just sent him to help Rowen and Serena."  
  
"I hope that he gets a piece of that creep for the rest of us," muttered Kento.  
  
"I think he will," said Cale. "He looked ready to use his attack on the puppet prince."  
  
"And I would help him," said Haruka.  
  
"But you are needed here," said Setsuna. "We have to make sure that we can join up with our Prince and Princess after they send Endymion to where he belongs."  
  
"And that would be the lowest pit in-"  
  
Ryo quickly put his hand over Hotaru's mouth before she could finish the sentence. He calmly looked at the questioning looks of the other three Outer Scouts, but there was muffled laughter from the Ronins and Warlords.  
  
"Is there a reason that you didn't want our Firefly to finish that sentence?" asked Michiru.  
  
"Not for me, but I think that you would be blaming someone for what could have been said."  
  
The muffled laughter became stronger from the peanut gallery.  
  
"Could it be because you taught her what she was going to say?"  
  
asked Setsuna.  
  
"No."  
  
Lita and Windy looked at each other, as the laughter grew stronger while the Mars Prince, bearer of the Wildfire armor, faced down the impossible force of protective parents. "If you can finish this later, we have to get going," called Windy. She and Lita turned from the proceedings and continued down the path they were following. Ryo quickly dragged Hotaru with him as he retreated from the Overprotective Parents and followed the Windwalker and Jovian Sailor. He knew a fight he couldn't win when he saw one. The others followed after them, still glowering or snickering.  
  
***********  
  
Sage was surprised at how quickly he moved through the castle to the dungeons that Windy said his sister and best friend were located. He arrived just in time to see Endymion and Rowen start their fight as he landed next to Serena. She glanced at him then turned back to watch the fight between the two Earth princes.  
  
"Windy send you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I asked," he returned. "I was worried about the two of you."  
  
"I'm kind of glad that she did send you. I don't trust Endymion or Chaos; they will have something up their sleeve and behind their backs."  
  
"Windy seemed to agree, that's why she sent me." Sage then noticed the change in the attire his sister was wearing. "What is this?" he asked.  
  
Serena looked down at her clothes. "What, this?" she asked. Sage nodded. "It's the uniform for Sailor Cosmos, which, it seems, I am. Nice, huh?"  
  
"As if you didn't have enough with being Princess of the Moon, now you are the protector of the cosmos. Rowen will love that." Serena sent him a questioning look as she moved from the landing area of a stray bolt of power sent from Endymion. "He likes to look at the heavens. This will just encourage him to pester you to take him into space."  
  
Serena gave him a grin. "Sounds like fun, thanks for the suggestion."  
  
Sage just groaned and dodged another stray bolt. "Endymion needs to work on where he flings those things."  
  
"I think that he has enough expertise," Serena disagreed. "If he knew any more, then he would be hitting Rowen."  
  
"Speaking of which, why weren't you helping him when I came?"  
  
"Because Endymion formally Challenged him. We can't do anything."  
  
"Other than try to avoid Endymion's sloppy aim," shot back Sage. "I can't wait for this to end."  
  
"Neither can I," said Serena. "Neither can I."  
  
***********  
  
Rowen was quite aware of when Sage joined his sister, but he had to worry about what his former half brother was doing instead of greeting his best friend. There would be time later, but right now, his half brother was trying to use him as a living target for his horrible aim. "How did you ever protect Rena with this bad of an aim?" he muttered. "I suppose the Earth had to spell the stupid roses just so they would land where they should."  
  
"Actually, I just like playing with you," smirked Endymion. "This way may be I can take out you or her twin. With the two of you gone, then I get all three kingdoms through her. I think that is a nice goal."  
  
"Only for an egomaniac. You should try setting realistic goals for once."  
  
Endymion didn't respond, but he did send a particularly strong bolt at his half brother. Rowen knew that Sage and Serena were behind him so he fielded that blow and sent it to the Earth to be changed into something more useful.  
  
"That was a nice trick," sneered Endymion. "Care to try it again?" He threw another at him.  
  
This time Rowen knew he couldn't send it to the Earth and was bracing himself for a very hard hit.  
  
~Send it to the Heavens, bearer.~  
  
Rowen was startled. This was the first time that the Strata armor ever decided to talk to him. From his talks with his friends, none of the armors ever talked to them, but they were all sure that the armors had to be aware of everything. -Say, what?-  
  
~Send it to the Heavens. They will take the Power and use it for their Protector.~  
  
Meaning Serena, Rowen thought. He suddenly grinned as the bolt came closer. That was the best idea anyone ever came up with and he was going to let Endymion and Chaos have a real taste of what Power used the correct way was like.  
  
The bolt of Power finished its race toward Rowen, only to be forced up toward the roof and making a large hole through several floors before reaching the open air. Endymion snarled as Rowen grinned at his half brother. "Want to try for a third one?" he asked.  
  
"No, I'll just kill you with my sword. It will be more satisfying." Endymion charged toward the Strata bearer with his sword raised in attack.  
  
Rowen was expecting this and thanked God that he had spent so long with his fellow armor bearers. This was a charge worthy of Kento and the finesse close to Sage. Rowen knew his friends' fighting styles and how to counter them; they all did. Rowen used his bow to block the first attack, and then started to use it like a staff. He was glad that Windy had pushed for all the practices, even when he was complaining about the early starts.  
  
Endymion growled. How was it that his brat brother could now out fight him, when in the Silver Millennium he had to take stolen lessons from the four Generals behind his back. The dark prince narrowed his eyes. May be it was the blue armor that he was wearing. He never saw anything like that before and Rowen seemed to know how to use it. "You are cheating," announced the puppet prince.  
  
Rowen didn't like the sound of that. He stayed ready for a possible rush and asked, "How so? Can't get used the fact that I may know what I'm doing?"  
  
"You're just using that new armor of yours. I know that it has power of its own. You still can't fight without help."  
  
Rowen knew a dodge when he heard one, he was a friend with a lot of people with little idiosyncrasies and he had a few himself. "Look who's talking. You have the help of your Master to boost you along. At least the armor I'm wearing thought I was worthy enough to work with it. You probably would only have been Tulpa's foot soldier if he were still around."  
  
"Then it's a good thing he isn't," smirked Endymion. "I have a partner who sees my obvious talents and helps me make use of them."  
  
Rowen was getting sick of Endymion's taunts; they were drawing them away from the fight and Rowen knew that was one reason that his half brother did it. Once Endymion thought that his opponent was angry enough, then he became deadly. Many of the nobles loyal to the Earth Queen had died because of this tactic their father and Endymion used, but not now. Rowen was going to avenge every one of them who died so shamefully by his stepfather and half brother's swords.  
  
"Not this time, brother," spat Rowen. "Remember, I know all your tricks and I have friends who know how to look past them. We taught each other many things and you just met all of what we know. Good bye Endymion."  
  
Rowen took another step forward and started his attack. Sage watched the forms that he used ranging from Kento's forward smash and bash to the elegant and deadly forms that Sailor Saturn and Windy practiced flawlessly. If it could be done with a staff, then Rowen used it with his bow. And Sage was pleased to see that the demon's puppet was at a loss on how to block most of the strikes.  
  
"Do you think that Rowen will make it?" Serena whispered as they watched the apex of the fight.  
  
Sage watched his best friend carefully. Nodding his head, he replied to his sister, "I think so."  
  
There was an angry cry as Rowen pushed back Endymion for the last time, holding him in a defeated position. "I believe that I win, brother," spat Rowen.  
  
Endymion didn't move; he didn't blink. "Are you so sure, brother?"  
  
Dark magic rushed from the very walls surrounding them. It buffeted against Serena's form and bashed against the Ronins in their armor. Rowen was pushed back from his position over Endymion as the dark prince rose, commanding the magic to push harder against the trio.  
  
"I win," grinned Endymion.  
  
"I. Don't. Think. So," ground out Rowen. He raised his bow once more and this time an arrow joined it. "ARROW SHOCK WAVE!"  
  
The arrow cut through the magic blowing around the four in the hall and hit its target. Endymion stumbled and fell to his knees, the magic starting to die down.  
  
"THUNDER BOLT CUT!"  
  
Sage finished his friend's attack and the last puppet of Chaos fell. He didn't even go with a whimper. He didn't go with a roar.  
  
***********  
  
The rest of the Ronins and Sailors watched as the bolt of power arched through the sky. Only Haruka, Kayura, Anubis, and Windy could see the power being absorbed into the heavens.  
  
"What just happened?" asked Cale.  
  
"Rowen just focused chaotic energy into a form that can be used," answered Haruka.  
  
"How do you know?" asked Cye.  
  
"Because Serena couldn't do that and Sage was just sent."  
  
"So that was what I felt in the Earth a few minutes ago," said Kento.  
  
"Probably."  
  
Fifteen minutes later they felt the death of Endymion, ex Prince of Earth, pawn of Chaos.  
  
"They won," breathed Lita.  
  
"Now we face the hard part," said Setsuna.  
  
"Facing Chaos," finished Anubis.  
  
Windy didn't say anything. She was concentrating on getting three people back into the safety of their friends. She was glowing a soft white light; she was reacting to the anger of Chaos. 


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
  
Rocky Oberlin  
  
Chapter 25  
  
Disclaimer: I haven't changed my name so I don't own the Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. In fact, I don't think that changing my name would even give me the right to it.  
  
Well, here it is. The battle everyone was waiting for. Cosmos vs. Chaos. (I HATE writing fight scenes.)  
  
Windy brought the trio back the same way she sent Sage. When they landed, Serena was surrounded by hugs and the two Ronins were checked over by Ryo and slapped on the back by the rest. "I guess that Ryo still is playing mother hen," whispered Seckmet to Anubis. "What with the way he's going over Halo and Strata."  
  
"It's called being a good leader," said Anubis. "He wants to make sure that there isn't anything wrong with them or any injuries that they won't tell anyone about."  
  
Seckmet crossed his arms. "I still think that he's playing mother hen."  
  
Ryo caught the whole conversation, along with the rest of the group, and threw the Venom armor bearer a dirty look after he finished his inspection. He walked away from the group to join the glowing ghost as she watched the patterns of magic swirling around the castle. "See anything?" he asked.  
  
"Chaos is building Its power base. We will have to hurry or we'll be caught in a strong tide when It does Its final call."  
  
"This will be like the last fight I had with Chaos, won't it?" she asked quietly.  
  
Rowen heard the sadness and fear in her voice and put an arm around her shoulders. He hugged her close and didn't let go. Serena leaned into his embrace and stayed there. She didn't want to lose her love like she almost did the first time.  
  
"Yes and no," answered the ghost. "I'm going to make darn sure that Chaos doesn't take anymore people, but you ultimately will be the one to fight It." Windy squinted like she was trying to see in the far distance. "And beware of the form It's going to take. You will have to steel your heart because It found a new body."  
  
The Outer Sailors and Lita stiffened. "Who did It take?" growled Haruka.  
  
"Endymion."  
  
Even the Ronins and Warlords glowered at that. It was one thing to take on a force that couldn't be destroyed and had to be banished, but to fight it in a human's dead body? That was against any rule they had ever known. You did not desecrate the bodies of the dead, no matter how much you hated them.  
  
"So much for Chaos using Endymion because of his talent," muttered Sage. "He was just another convenient body."  
  
"At least it's a dead body this time," said Hotaru. "It was living in the body of Galaxia when we fought it."  
  
"That had to have been fun," snorted Kento.  
  
"We didn't know," said Setsuna. "We were dead."  
  
"Then who fought her?" asked Cye.  
  
"Serena," said Michiru. "We were killed for our star-seeds."  
  
"And those Starlights," spat Haruka.  
  
"You really have to learn to live with them helping when we couldn't," said Lita. "At least they got Serena through it alive."  
  
"That is the only credit I'm going to give them," said Haruka. "I still am not convinced."  
  
"And never will from the sounds of it," said Sage.  
  
Ryo looked at Rowen. "Who does that sound like?" he asked.  
  
"Like us when it was only Anubis helping us and Mia."  
  
"You, at least, said thank you and accepted me later. It sounds like Haruka is still having trouble with this Starlights issue," said Anubis.  
  
***********  
  
Windy was just barely paying attention to the conversation going on around her. She was quietly leading the group through the rest of the maze with only Lady Kayura as her companion. She had left the others to their talk and traveled with the ghost after she had made her revelation.  
  
"How much further do we have to go?" she asked quietly.  
  
"A little further. Once we're in the safety zone, we can stop and figure out what is going to happen."  
  
"How long before Chaos does Its last call for power?"  
  
Windy zoned out for a moment and then came back in a hurry. "We have to move," she said quickly. "Now."  
  
Lady Kayura dropped back to hurry the ones in back while Windy started to get the ones in front to move faster. She directed them which way to go as she continued to jog the ones who started to lag.  
  
"What's the hurry?" puffed Dais as he ran beside Cye.  
  
"Windy says that Chaos is making Its last call," answered Lady Kayura.  
  
"What will happen if we get caught in the end of it?" asked Cale.  
  
"You really don't want to know," said Windy. "It's not pleasant." She dropped back further to hurry Sage and Lita who had lagged back further then the rest. "You have to go a little faster. We are only half way to the safety zone."  
  
"We want to help," said Lita.  
  
"They only way for you to help right now is if you get up there with the others," said Windy. "It you get caught in this last wave, we won't be seeing you ever again. You will be a part of Chaos and will be sent with It when Serena banishes it for the last time."  
  
When they didn't move fast enough, Windy sighed. She could see the wave coming closer and the others were already crossing the line into safety. Ryo had turned back at the last minute and saw that his friend and Lita were no where near the point of safety and was ready to run back to get them himself.  
  
"Ryo, get in here!" yelled Cye. "That thing is almost on us!"  
  
"Sage and Lita are still out there," said Ryo. "I'm not letting them go without trying to get them across."  
  
"Ryo! Get your body over that line now before I help you across!" threatened Windy. She had heard the Ronin leader and knew he was going to do something really stupid if she didn't stop him. Serena and Rowen were trying to cross the line again, but the force of magic was keeping them on the other side. She just had to push Ryo across and get the two stubborn people to hurry a little more. The Windwalker sent a hard gust of wind to push the Mars prince across the line and heard the name he called her when he found he couldn't cross again. It was enough to get a dirty look from Haruka and an interested look from his friends.  
  
"You two are going to be the after death of me yet," growled Windy as she grabbed the last two by their arms and flew. She had to move fast because the wave was right on her heels and she didn't want to explain to several parties why she lost the Sun prince and Jovian princess to an inanimate object like a wave of magic. Windy didn't look back as she pushed one more time and barely crossed the barrier into the safety zone. She turned on them both. "If you ever do something like that again when you are told by a higher being to move your tails, then you will deserve whatever you are given if you survive the experience," she snarled  
  
"We wanted to help you with the wave," growled Sage.  
  
"I wasn't going to do anything with it. Even I have limits and that is one of them. I can only control what I can get a handle on. That was too big for just me to handle and having you with me wouldn't have helped me any. I would have been sent back and you would be sharing your power with Chaos."  
  
"We didn't know," protested Lita. "We just wanted to help you."  
  
"It was a nice thought, but when I say run, then you run. It is not up to a debate in situations like this."  
  
"Why are you yelling at them like that?" snapped Ryo. "They didn't know."  
  
"Because I don't like the idea of losing friends to something like Chaos and they wouldn't be retrieved if they had. Dais asked what would happen if you got caught in the last wave, well, I'll tell you now. You cease to exist. You become a part of the thing that is calling the power to it. Do you see what it's like out there on the other side? There is nothing. It has been swept clean and you would have joined it. The only reason why this line is here is because Chaos wants someplace to work from; otherwise it would have gone with the rest of the power."  
  
Silence answered the terse and bitten off reply. The warriors were shell-shocked at what they were told. They could have been swept into what they were trying to fight and there was no way that they could have been brought out by the Windwalker. They could see the pain in her eyes and the worry etching her face. She must have lost someone like that before if she was yelling like this.  
  
"Who was it?" asked Serena.  
  
"A friend a long time ago." Windy bowed her head before raising it and pushing onward. The subject was finished.  
  
***********  
  
They were getting closer, Rowen could tell. He watched as their guide move swiftly and deadly through the last of the monsters trying to keep them out. It was like she was taking on the minions so they wouldn't have to. She knew something and she wasn't talking; after her angry outburst, Rowen didn't think that any questions should be asked quite yet.  
  
"That was the last of them," Windy said quietly. "The monsters stop here and the nightmare begins."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Setsuna.  
  
"Positive. Chaos is waiting for us."  
  
"I'm not ready," said Serena. "I don't think I can do this now."  
  
Windy looked at the Moon Princess. "Are any of us ready? Trust in us and in yourself. You can do this, Serenity." Windy looked her in they eye. "I know you can. I have faith in you."  
  
Serena was going to say more, her friends were going to say more, but Chaos decided to interrupt. "Ah, the old pep talk. Sorry to intrude, but I think that it's time to finish this. Out of the way, follower of the Creator. I will deal with you when I'm done with Cosmos." Chaos flung Its borrowed body's hand to one side and Windy went flying into a wall. She slid down and didn't rise. Serena watched with horrified eyes as the most powerful protector she had was tossed aside like a rag doll by a being in her once love's body. She didn't know if she could handle fighting Endymion's body even if Chaos was using it.  
  
"I believe in you," whispered Rowen as he stood at her side. "I will never leave you, I promise."  
  
Sage stepped to her other side. Lita joined him and they smiled at their friend and princess. Ryo walked to the other side of Rowen and gave her a wide grin. Slowly the other warriors joined the protector of the cosmos as she faced off with her enemy. The feeling of her friends supporting her gave her the confidence to face her adversary.  
  
"Feeling a little more confident?" sneered the body of Endymion. "That's good, because I'm going to take them away one by one and leave you all alone. Remember the last time we fought? How alone you were? No one to help you, no one to stand beside you."  
  
Serena remembered. She remembered the battle clearly. She wasn't alone then and she wasn't alone now. "You are wrong," she growled. "I'm not alone. I have my friends with me. They will never leave me."  
  
"Not by choice," chuckled Chaos. "But they will leave you because I said so." It waved Its borrowed hand again and the five Warlords of the Nether Realm disappeared. It waved Its other hand and the four Outer Sailors faded with yells of outrage. "See? I have taken over half of your friends. Shall I take the rest from you?"  
  
"They believe in me," stated Cosmos. "They will help me wherever you sent them."  
  
Chaos chuckled again. "No, I don't think they will. They aren't even alive anymore. I killed them."  
  
Cosmos blanched. It seemed like it was the final battle all over again. Rowen grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. She looked over at him and felt a spark of hope. If the Diplomat could bring her to her brother and her love, then may be she could do something about her lost friends. "They will still help me Chaos," she yelled.  
  
Chaos didn't say anything this time when It waved Its hand. Serena could hear Sage yelling and trying to hold onto his sister. She wasn't quick enough to grab his hand and she lost the subtle connection with her twin.  
  
"I have broken your bond with your twin. Shall I break the one you have with your love?" It snarled.  
  
Rowen whispered in her ear, "I will always be with you. Don't give up." Then he disappeared with the last wave of Chaos' fist.  
  
"Well, Cosmos? Will you think about an offer I could give you?"  
  
But Cosmos stood there. She couldn't feel her twin or her love, but she knew they were there. They would never leave her. Her friends were gone, but she knew that they would support her even if they were beyond the mortal plane. She raised her head. "No."  
  
Chaos started to smile, but at her answer it was erased from It's borrowed face. "What?"  
  
"You heard me. I said no. I won't join you, I won't work for you, and I certainly won't let you take over everything that people have worked hard to make." She started to gather the power she knew she had. "You are done. I'm sending you back to where you belong."  
  
"We shall see, Cosmos." Chaos started to draw the power It had gathered before making It's final appearance. It quickly dwarfed everything that Serena had gathered from herself.  
  
Serena was starting to worry when she saw the amount of power that Chaos drew. She knew that she was in trouble and might not make it from this fight.  
  
"I have faith in you," whispered a voice. "And so do the others."  
  
Serena glanced at the still body of the Windwalker. It was almost like the last words she said to the princess, but this time the voice was adding the sediments of her friends. She drew herself up and decided if she was going to do this, then she would go down in a blaze of glory and hopefully she could bring Chaos down with her.  
  
***********  
  
In the corner where the clay shell of a dead woman laid, a smile graced the still lips. Cosmos finally got it. She was open and ready for the others to help her. A soft sigh passed through the smiling, still lips before the body faded away. This matter was almost done.  
  
***********  
  
Serena didn't notice the loss of the ghost. She was too busy watching the power level of Chaos rise to proportions she didn't think that she could achieve. It was more than Chaos ever had when she fought the entity the first time.  
  
"See something different?" laughed Chaos. "I got it from the powerless people who once served you. I would have had more, but my old servant stopped me from gathering more. I think, though, that I have enough to defeat you."  
  
"I have the faith of my friends and a person who came to help me," Cosmos muttered. "I can do this. I won't give up." As these words passed her lips, she felt more power joining with her. It was more than when she fought Metalia. It was more than when she fought with Rini against the Doom Phantom or even against Pharaoh 90. It was the joining of friends and love to help protect something they all cared for. "This must be what Ryo feels when he receives the other armors to make the Inferno armor," muttered Serena. An affirmative feeling showed that at least one of her friends was still with her.  
  
***********  
  
Chaos was tired of this game. It was going to finish it for good. "Say good bye Cosmos. Give my regards to your family when I send them to you." Chaos raised Its hand for the last time and threw the power It had gathered at the defender of the cosmos, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.  
  
***********  
  
"Watch out!"  
  
Cosmos looked toward the raw power being thrown at her and responded with a call of her own power. She made a small shield to block the first attack and then forced it forward towards Chaos.  
  
"Keep it up. The combined power will force It back to where it deserves to be."  
  
Cosmos didn't argue. She pushed forward with all her might and stopped only when Chaos copied her with Its own push of power. She couldn't move forward and she refused to move back; Cosmos was at a stalemate.  
  
"Take what We offer. It will help you."  
  
She didn't know who was talking to her, but she took the offered strength and inched her way forward. She could feel the strength of the Justice. Virtue flowed through her veins like fire. Loyalty and Piety joined with Trust and Wisdom to support her. Serenity enfolded her as Obedience swept around her. The powers of Strength, Time, Death and Rebirth, Elegance, and Grace surrounded her. And pulsing around them all and Sailor Cosmos was Life. They were with her even now and they were going to help her.  
  
With the added force she pushed forward inch by inch. Chaos felt the rise in her power and pushed more if Itself into the force It held against her. Again Cosmos found herself at a stalemate. Once more she felt something brush around her. This time it wasn't something that was symbolized by her friends, but by a ghost who had joined so many others before her and after. It was Unconditional Love. That force alone helped her push through the last defense that Chaos had raised.  
  
NNNNOOOO!  
  
The cry wasn't spoken, but she could feel the sediment. She looked through her squinted eyes before she fell. "Never come back," she whispered.  
  
"It won't. The semblance is a part of humanity, but the entity of Chaos is finally banished. We thank you for letting Us use Our Love through you. Now you can be normal."  
  
Serena didn't understand who the last person that spoke to her was. She was busy falling to the ground in exhaustion. She had finished her fight. Finally. 


	26. Epilogue

Silver Millennium Life Bonds  
  
Rocky Oberlin  
  
Epilogue  
  
Disclaimer: Since I started this story, I have said over and over that I didn't own Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. Now that we are at the end, nothing has changed. I still don't own them.  
  
Windy wanted to fall to the ground laughing. The problem was she was keeping the Warlords and Outer Sailors inside the house. Luna and Artimas sat on the windowsill and White Blaze commandeered the other window next to the Warlords. Only Rowen and Serena, Ryo and Mia, and Cye, who was holding Kento's mouth shut, were out on the back porch. Where were Sage and Lita? On the other side of the porch exchanging spit. Or playing tonsil hockey. Or for all the romantics, kissing. It was just as she had saw when she took Sage to see his father.  
  
Speaking of which, Windy turned enough to nod a greeting to the Sun King. The Outer Sailors kneeled to their monarch while Luna and Artimas bowed their heads. They rose from the positions when he signaled to them.  
  
"How is my son doing, Guardian?"  
  
Windy took another look out the window and then at her watch she was wearing for the moment. "He's been kissing Makoto for the past five minutes. They should be coming up for air soon."  
  
"And how is my daughter?"  
  
"Deliriously happy," said the ghost.  
  
"I was able to watch the final battle, why did she have to be alone?"  
  
Windy looked at the Sun Keeper. "It wasn't my idea, but then, she wasn't alone anyway. They were still with her even if no one could see them."  
  
The Sun King sighed. "I won't ask; I'll just believe that you knew what you were doing."  
  
"Such faith," exclaimed Windy. She put her right hand to her heart. "I am hurt by such little faith given to me after all the support you gave me before."  
  
"I'm worried about my children," retorted the Sun King. "I didn't like the idea of my only children going up against Chaos Itself when even the most powerful Sailor couldn't stop it permanently."  
  
"You forget that Serena went up against it before," said Windy. "She banished it back to where it belonged, but the banishment wasn't perfect. Now It will stay where It belongs until the right time comes for it to be loosed on the world, if it ever does." She looked out the window again. "They're done for the moment; would you like to see your children?"  
  
At the king's nod, Windy stepped aside and opened the door. Everyone watched as Serena ran into her father's arms for a hug and Sage bowed formally to his father, but the Sun King wouldn't have it. He walked over to his son and gave him as big a hug as he gave Serena. Windy smiled. That was how a family should be, always filled with love for each other.  
  
"What did happen after Serena pushed Chaos back?" asked Hotaru. "I felt like I was awakening to finish what she started."  
  
Windy looked down at the Sailor of Death and Rebirth before looking at the others with her. They all wanted to know what had happened and only she could give them the answers.  
  
***********  
  
Windy sighed as she sat in the tree, looking down into the pond of the Water of Sight. Around it laid the unconscious bodies of the Warlords, Outer Sailors, and the Ronin Warriors. Under her sat Mia, Sam, Yulie, White Blaze, and the Lunar Cats, everyone watching the pond to see the battle. For all the hype and anxiousness that the warriors and support people harbored, it wasn't that fierce. Windy was of the opinion that getting to the castle was harder then actually fighting Chaos.  
  
The Guardian straightened up when the final push of power flowed from Sailor Cosmos to engulf Chaos. After the dark entity disappeared Windy disappeared from her place in the tree only to appear in the Nether Realm. She acted like a white dot in the blackness going to the fading light of the last Sailor defending that realm. The ghost picked up the unconscious body of Rowen's love and left the destroyed Realm.  
  
Luna and Mia were ready for them when Windy returned. They took the last Sailor and laid her next to the Ronin of Strata, Prince of the Earth. Before Luna left the pair, she joined hands of the two so they knew that the other was with them.  
  
"Will they be okay?" asked Yulie.  
  
Windy took a look at Cale, as it seemed that he was going to wake up before the rest. "They will be fine. I had to grab them from the nothingness Chaos was sending them to. When they wake up, they won't remember anything after Chaos removed them from the Nether Realm."  
  
"What about my sister?" asked Sam.  
  
Luna answered that question. "She will be fine. If the Lady Guardian isn't hovering over her with a worried look, then Serena will be fine."  
  
Sam didn't look convinced, so he settled himself next to his sister. "I'm going to stay here until I know that she will be fine," he stated.  
  
Windy turned to him and bowed. "As you wish. You can tell me if there is any change in her condition. I thank you."  
  
The assignment only made Sam the grimmer. If he was going to watch his sister for the ghost, then he was going to make sure that Serena was going to be fine. He wasn't going to call her a Meatball Head any more.  
  
"Lady Windwalker," asked Artimas. "Why did you bring us here?"  
  
"Because you must remember," said Windy.  
  
"Why?" asked Luna as she came up to them. "Why do we have to remember?"  
  
"Chaos bled into the Mortal Realm during the fight. It started to destroy the world like it did when Serena first fought it. This time someone had to remember clearly the battle and give it to the future Sailors and Warriors who will take over when the present ones retire." Windy looked at the two cats. "The Silver Millennium will come back, but not as the Crystal Tokyo that everyone thought it will be. The survivors of the Silver Millennium have long lives and they will change what the world will be like. Only they won't take over the government, they will help it along. Let them do that. Let them make their own destiny."  
  
"We will remember," said the cats. "It's the least we can do for them."  
  
The discussion was ended when Windy started to check on the other people laying unconscious in the Middle World. She had to put Hotaru back to sleep for a while longer because she was starting to react to the neutrality of the plane. Windy didn't want to deal with her ultimate attack taking out the plane. Then she would be in hot water.  
  
***********  
  
"So that was what I was reacting to," said Hotaru. "I was wondering."  
  
"I'm just sorry that I had to do that," said Windy. "I felt like I was doing the same thing Queen Serenity did in the Silver Millennium."  
  
"Yes, but you woke me up when we came home." Hotaru grinned up to the ghost. "It was interesting hearing Ryo yelling at Sage while Rowen and Serena were kissing in the corner of my room."  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow to Windy on that statement. "Yes, we wanted to talk to you about that. Was that really necessary?"  
  
"No, but what was I suppose to do? Wait until everyone was sleeping off their hangovers to wake her up?" Windy gave a wry look. "That would have gone really well. The poor girl would have thought that the world was ending."  
  
"But couldn't you have woke her up in a quieter room?" asked Michiru. "She didn't really need to see all that."  
  
"May I remind you that you demanded the Windwalker to wake up your Firefly 'right now'," defended Artimas. "The Guardian was just going to let her sleep the spell off. You wanted her awake now."  
  
"You didn't say where you wanted her woke up," added Windy. "You just wanted her awake."  
  
"Face it, you aren't going to win this fight," said a new voice.  
  
Haruka stiffened. The Warlords' eyes widened at what they saw behind Windy. "Who let you in?" growled the Sailor of Uranus.  
  
"Would you believe the tiger?" asked another voice.  
  
"Actually, I would believe the boys did," said Setsuna. "They heard the doorbell."  
  
"We just wanted to see how Sailor Cosmos was doing," said a third voice.  
  
"Really?" asked Cale. "You can see how she's doing right through this window."  
  
"Or the Lady Guardian could walk out the door and let the lady of the house and her roommates know she has some more visitors," said Luna.  
  
"I agree with Luna," said Windy. She looked over her shoulder. "I'll just let her know that the Starlights and Sailor Galaxia are here to see one of her guests."  
  
***********  
  
It was interesting to watch the reception of the Starlights by Serena and Lita. Windy had to hold Rowen and Sage back from pummeling the newcomers. They only relaxed when Serena introduced Rowen as her fiancée and Lita said that Sage was her current boyfriend. Only Windy, Ryo, and Rowen heard Sage growl that he was going to be her fiancée when he could introduce her to his family.  
  
Windy was decided. She wanted to take time off to watch the interesting family when the three pairs got around to getting married. It was bound to be entertaining. Then she would go on to another place that needed her help.  
  
***********  
  
AN: Well, this is it. I'm not going to beat this into the ground with a sequel about the three pairs marrying; I'm going to let you use your imagination. To everyone who held on through the whole story, I give you my thanks. To everyone who came in during the middle of the story, I hope you enjoyed it. I am not sorry for putting God in this story, that is the center of my character, Windy. I especially thank everyone who reviewed at least once; the people who wanted me to continue and those who said I should stop and change it around or quit all together. I wrote it for anyone who wanted to read it and for my enjoyment.  
  
On a side note: The copy of Silver Millennium Life Bonds found on the Ronin Warriors link of Fanfiction.net will be taken down later. There is still the copy in Sailor Moon Crossovers and I will probably combine the chapters at that same time.  
  
Have a good summer and may God Bless you in everything. Thank You!  
  
Rocky Oberlin 


End file.
